More than Half of American Households Used the Internet for Health-Related Activities in 2019

Telemedicine and telehealth-related activities are on the rise, according to NTIA’s November 2019 Internet Use Survey, which found that more households are using the Internet to communicate with health professionals, access health records, and research health information. The proportion of households that accessed health or health insurance records online grew from 30 percent in 2017 to 34 percent in 2019. Households communicating with a doctor or other health professional online grew by two percentage points, and households that researched health information online grew by one percentage point between 2017 and 2019. Telehealth and telemedicine users tend to have higher incomes, more education, and live in metropolitan areas.