Survey examines US adult use of internet to communicate with doctors or offices

Photo by Alexander Grey / Unsplash

CDC MMWR Published April 5, 2026 Medically reviewed April 15, 2026 By Dr. Amelia Tan, PhD · Internal Medicine & Chronic Disease

Key Takeaway

Note: Survey on internet doctor communication lacks reported prevalence data.

This observational survey report examined the use of the internet to communicate with a doctor or doctor's office among adults in the United States. The specific intervention, comparator, sample size, and follow-up period were not reported. The primary outcome was the percentage of adults who used the internet for this communication in the past 12 months, but the result, effect size, absolute numbers, and statistical measures were not provided.

No safety, tolerability, or adverse event data were reported for this survey. The report did not list specific methodological limitations, and funding sources or potential conflicts of interest were not disclosed.

Given the incomplete reporting of key results and methodology, the clinical relevance of this survey is unclear. The lack of a reported percentage prevents any assessment of the prevalence of this communication method. This underscores the importance of fully reported data for informing practice.