Global Survey of Healthcare Bloggers

In July 2006, Envision Solutions and The Medical Blog Network launched the first global survey of healthcare bloggers. They launched the survey because the healthcare blogosphere is rapidly growing in size and importance. However, little is known about the activity and opinions of large numbers of healthcare bloggers. This survey is the first systematic attempt to track the behaviors and opinions of healthcare bloggers from around the world.

The results of the survey are now available. Here are some of the findings:

• Nearly 40% of bloggers report that the most important reason they decided to start their blog was to share their opinions or educate others.
• A combined 72% of those taking the survey said that their primary audience is either healthcare providers, the general public or patients.
• 61% of respondents write about their personal experiences. In addition, 56% blog about health news, 55% post articles on health business and 51% focus on health policy.
• 39% of those surveyed hide their identity to protect their privacy, patient confidentiality or themselves.
• The majority of survey respondents hail from the United States (75%) and the largest group are physicians (20%).
• 34% of respondents classified their blog as a “healthcare provider” blog, meaning that a physician, nurse or other medical professional writes it. 27% of respondents classified their blog as a healthcare expert blog and 16% classified their blog as a patient blog.
• 47% of respondents spend between one and two hours on their blog per day. However, nearly as many (43%) spend less than one hour daily on their weblog.
• 44% of bloggers post to their blogs between one and two times per week.
• The media has contacted 45% of respondents. Of those contacted, 57% were approached because of a subject they wrote about on their weblog.

You can read the press release and view the full report at http://www.envisionsolutionsnow.com/survey.html.