More cell owners using phones to get health information online

Calling the doctor is not the only medical-related use for a cell phone.

With the proliferation of smart phones, mobile devices now are being used to gather, track and manage medical and health information, particularly by young adults, according to a survey by the Pew Internet Project.

The survey showed that 17 percent of all cell owners have used their phone to look up health or medical information on the Internet, with 29 percent of cell owners ages 18 to 29 doing such searches.

Also, 9 percent of all cell owners have software applications — or “apps” — on their phones that help them track or manage their health.

The heaviest use of health or medicine-related apps was by young adults: about 15 percent of those age 18 to 29 have such apps, compared with 8 percent of cell users ages 30 to 49.

Health and medicine-related apps vary widely from workout and food trackers to personal health record-keepers. The Cleveland Clinic, for example, has a free app that provides a daily health tip or a $1.99 app that offers ways to de-stress through meditation.

Both are available in the iTunes store.

Dan Young, owner of DXY Solutions, a mobile-application-building company in Cleveland, said he expects more and more people will be accessing health information online.

Health care providers should recognize the trend and make sure their Web content is designed to work with mobile platforms, Young said.

As for phone apps, security is extremely important, Young said. Phones “cache” or store data so that future requests for that data are answered faster.

That could spell trouble for someone who loses a cell phone that contains medical-records apps or other sensitive information.

Young said health-care providers — and cell phone users — should make sure such information can be erased remotely or be password-protected.

“It’s prudent that people think about those issues,” he said.

The Pew survey also showed that:

57 percent of American adults have a wireless connection and use a laptop or cell phone to access the Internet.

Black consumers were more likely than other groups to use mobile health apps.

Urban cell phone owners were more likely than those who live in suburban or rural areas to have such an app on their phone.

Most adults’ searches for health information, however, remains anchored in the offline world, the survey report said.

“Most people turn to a health professional, friend or family member when they have a health question,” the survey report said. “The Internet plays a growing but still supplemental role — and mobile connectivity has not changed that.”

The survey was conducted among 3,001 adults in August and September. The Pew Internet Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research center based in Washington, D.C.