Three-quarters of Belgians search internet for medical advice

About 75% of the Belgian population look up medical advice on the internet, while 23% consult the internet for health information instead of their doctor, according to a survey of 2,225 people conducted by the website Gezondheid en Wetenschap (Health and Science), a Flemish online platform for medical information.

"Most people first look up their symptoms online," says Marleen Finoulst of Gezondheid en Wetenschap. "The results demonstrate the importance of reliable health websites. Most of the respondents (72%) say they are concerned about the quality of the information they find online."

The vast majority of respondents (86%) say they regularly scour various health websites before going to the doctor, while 27% even take medications, vitamins or other supplements based on the information they find online. And another 23% don’t bother going to see their doctor after having searched the internet.

In addition to the internet, the respondents named magazines and newspapers (34% each), television (28%), radio (12%), leaflets from the waiting room (15%) and social media (12%) as important sources of health information.