Gen Y: self-service medicine online
8 December 2011
Gen Y is number one when it comes to online self-diagnosis and taking unprescribed medicines, a survey published by the Australian Medicines Industry has found. The survey shows Australians aged 18–27 are twice as likely as the rest of the population to share medicines or use medicines not recommended for them.
More than half of so-called Gen Y admitted to looking up symptoms on the internet instead of seeing a healthcare professional compared with 36 per cent of the rest of the population, according to the survey of 1002 people.
The generation gap was even bigger when it came to buying medicine online, with 21 per cent of 18 to 27-year-olds saying they bought medicines from overseas on the internet, compared with just 6 per cent of the rest of the population.
Medicines Industry spokesperson Dr Brendan Shaw said he was concerned Gen Y was tending to replace a visit to the doctor with online research.
"They’re more used to getting online, whether it's on a computer or a smartphone," Dr Shaw said.
"While the internet’s a great thing and a good information source, including for health issues, the concern is that they’re doing that instead of going and seeing the doctor.
"If you’ve got symptoms by all means use a smartphone, but don't just use a smartphone to look it up on the internet, use it to make an appointment."
The Medicines Industry is run by Medicines Australia.
Last Reviewed: 09 December 2011
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