NEWCASTLE – 11 April, 2016: Over half (58%) of health-obsessed Brits cover up symptoms from their doctors, confusing health professionals and take more sick days than the rest of the population. According to the research study of 3,000 consumers, commissioned by Clarity Informatics, consumers who spend over an hour researching their illnesses online resulted in additional sick leave in 2015[3], costing UK businesses £1.1 billion[4].
“With all the information available online, it’s easy to see why over a quarter of us classify ourselves in this way, spending an hour or more researching illnesses online,” says Dr Gerry Morrow, medical director at Clarity Informatics. “But there is currently no trustworthy source of healthcare information online – even ‘reputable’ sources are often run by hobbyist enthusiasts.”
UK consumers also admitted to going to work whilst still poorly, infecting colleagues and costing a further £360 million[5] in additional sick leave.
London is the most health-obsessed city in the UK, with nearly 44% of adults confessing to spending an hour or more researching their symptoms online. Cardiff and Norwich come in second (40.32%) and third (39.73%), respectively. The top 5 health obsessed UK cities are as follows:
1. London (43.69%)
2. Cardiff (40.32%)
3. Norwich (39.73%)
4. Edinburgh (38.30%)
5. Birmingham (37.58)
Clarity Informatics recently launched the app Prodigy Patient to provide reliable health information to users. It is free and available today to download on all major smartphone platforms, including Android, Windows Phone and IOS.
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About Clarity Informatics
Clarity Informatics is a world-leading provider of health informatics products and services. Clarity’s innovative solutions are built from over 20 years of experience in health informatics, along with an expert team of medical clinicians, researchers and software specialists. The company is highly recognised within the NHS and internationally for its IT solutions that improve patient safety and outcomes, save clinical time and are cost effective. For more information, visit https://clarity.co.uk/.