Bayer Diabetes Care launches ‘inspiring’ new online destination

NEW YORK Want to reach and effectively communicate with today’s diabetics? Then communicate with them through the news medium they turn to in favor of the nightly evening news, or even the morning paper that their grandparents turned to for information — the Internet.

That’s what Bayer Diabetes Care is accomplishing through the creation of an online destination center for newly-diagnosed diabetics, a destination center replete with Flash videos. They’re not the only healthcare organization tapping into the increased value of the Internet as a healthcare information resource, of course. But announcements like this underscores the value of the Internet in delivering that health content.

Consider this: 61% of American adults look online for health information, according to a recent Pew Internet survey of online usage.

In 2000, 46% of American adults had access to the internet, 5% of U.S. households had broadband connections, and 25% of American adults looked online for health information. Now, 74% of American adults go online, 57% of American households have broadband connections, and 61% of adults look online for health information.

That’s not to say traditional healthcare research resources, such as a doctor or pharmacists are no longer in vogue, but it is to say that online is more and more becoming a crucial cog in the delivery of any healthcare message. According to that Pew Internet survey, 86% of all adults still ask a health professional for advice; 68% of all adults ask a friend or family member and 57% of all adults use the Internet in search of health-related information.

Here’s another stat to consider — 41% of “e-patients” have read someone else's commentary or experience about health or medical issues on an online news group, Web site or blog, much like the personal-experience videos posted on Bayer’s new diabetes site.