Survey: Nearly One in Four Americans Admit to Being Misled by Health Information from Unverified Sources

KENILWORTH, N.J., Oct. 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Merck Manuals (called MSD Manuals outside of the United States and Canada), one of the world's most widely-used medical resources since 1899, today released the results of a survey revealing nearly 1 in 4 Americans (24 percent) say they have been misled by information about an illness or medical symptom from an unverified online source. That figure increases to 30 percent among parents with children under 18 and jumps to 43 percent among millennials (adults age 18-34).

The survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of Merck Manuals also uncovered that 40 percent of Americans are not at all, or not very, confident that the information found on for-profit health websites is credible. Despite this, 1 in 3 Americans (33 percent) admit they don't look to confirm the credibility of an online health site before searching for information.

"Clicking the first article that pops up in an online search may be the easiest course when researching health issues, but it can also be dangerous if the information doesn't come from a credible source," said Dr. Robert Porter, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of the Merck Manuals and MSD Manuals. "These results underscore the need for greater access to and awareness of highly credible health information."

To help consumers confirm if a website is credible, The Manuals have developed the STANDS method – an easy-to-remember solution using six essential elements:

Source – Does the resource cite recognized authorities and provide their credentials?
Transparent – Is it open and obvious whether the site's mission is educational or commercial?
Accessible – Is the site available without registration and is there a way for users to contact someone with questions or concerns?
Neutral – Is the information available purely as a resource, or does the site benefit financially from what its users do (such as buying products or visiting advertised websites)?
Documented – Is the site updated when needed by recognized medical experts?
Secure – Can users access content without forfeiting personal information?

This focus on health information credibility is part of The Manuals' overarching mission throughout Global Medical Knowledge 2020 – a worldwide initiative to make current and accurate medical information accessible to nearly three billion consumers and health care professionals by 2020. An initial wave of survey results released in June revealed issues with accessing health information and barriers to increasing personal levels of medical information.

"The internet will continue to be flooded with new health information and websites, which is why we need to stress to consumers the importance of identifying credible health information sources," Dr. Porter said.

MerckManuals.com and MSDManuals.com are authored by 350 independent medical experts from around the world. It is available at no cost, requires no registration and the user experience is not compromised by advertisements or commercial messaging.

About The Merck Manuals and MSD Manuals

First published in 1899 as a small reference book for physicians and pharmacists, The Merck Manual grew in size and scope to become one of the world's most widely used comprehensive medical resources for professionals and consumers. As The Manual evolved, it continually expanded the reach and depth of its offerings to reflect the mission of providing the best medical information to a wide cross-section of users, including medical professionals and students, veterinarians and veterinary students, and consumers. This year, The Merck Manual and MSD Manual kicked off Global Medical Knowledge 2020, a program to make the best current medical information accessible by up to three billion professionals and patients around the world by 2020. For access to thousands of medical topics with images, videos and a constantly expanding set of resources, visit MerckManuals.com or MSDManuals.com and connect with us on social media:

For Consumers in the U.S. and its territories: Twitter and Facebook
For Professionals in the U.S. and its territories: Twitter and Facebook

About Merck

Today's Merck is a global health care leader working to help the world be well. Merck is known as MSD outside the United States and Canada. Through our prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products, we work with customers and operate in more than 140 countries to deliver innovative health solutions. We also demonstrate our commitment to increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Merck Manuals from April 23-27, 2015, among 2,015 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Jamie Kloss at [email protected].

Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA

This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA (the "Company") includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the Company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and healthcare legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward healthcare cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval;  the Company's  ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the Company's s patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.

The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the Company's 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC's Internet site (www.sec.gov).

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SOURCE The Merck Manuals