Health search and information services provider Healthline Networks, US, has released the most searched health terms across the Healthline HealthWeb in 2011. It has been revealed that people using desktops and laptops search for more serious conditions, such as diabetes and cancer. The company also found that consumers turn to mobile devices to search for private issues, such as those related to sexually transmitted diseases and mental health conditions.
Every month, about 100 million consumers reportedly use Healthline and its HealthWeb partners to search for medically accurate health information. The company’s medically-guided search technology is stated to be used on health information destinations including Yahoo! Health, AARP, Sharecare, United Health and Aetna. On these sites, consumers have access to Healthline’s additional tools such as in-depth videos, 3-D animations, learning centres and wellness guides that illustrate many of the top web searches in a more meaningful way.
According to Healthline, its semantic healthcare taxonomy not only provides insight into specific queries, it classifies and can aggregate search volume by semantic type – disease, symptom, drug and treatment. Viewing the search types by semantic category, consumers most often search for diseases. On average, diseases are searched for at a rate of five times higher than symptoms, nine times higher than food and 13 times higher for a brand name drug.
Healthline’s 2011 search data also demonstrates unique user behaviour when it comes to searching for health information via the web or mobile devices.
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