In 3 years it has doubled the number of Internet users seeking information about the Health on the Net in 2006, 19% of the population in the European Union had used the Internet for this purpose, and in 2009, according to the report The Company Information in Spain 2010, and is 33% of the population.

The Spanish are concerned, above all, diseases, healthy eating, and drugs. These are the three main topics of Internet search users from Spain. Furthermore, the assessment by the Internet in our country is better than the rest of Europe, but at the same time, aware of the possibility of finding false information which leads to distrust. “The problem is that users have identified the health reference website, so no doubt this is an issue which must go in the future,” the report says in reference to a similar study that Pfizer conducted the last year entitled ´The role of Internet in the consultation process on Health Information. “

New technologies and access to the online world is being felt also in health services. The European Union has calculated that his adaptation would mean a saving of 7,500 million euros each year in Europe. Another important attribute of this evolution is the reduction of up to 84% of patient medication errors.

The report notes Telefónica as an example of the use of e-health in Spain for electronic medical records, a tool that is already used by almost all family physicians and pediatricians in Spain (87%.) The appointment request through the network has been another major advantages of using Internet for the Healthcare System, and over 80% of health centers have this service running.

Not so with the use of electronic prescriptions, but the perspective is of great benefits such as congestion of the health centers. According to estimates, could be reduced up to 30% of visits to health centers for this service so that doctors will make more time for other patients. And consequently, the waiting time is also reduced to 16%.

Source: prsalud