The study, “How America Searches: Health & Wellness,” reveals that the Internet beats doctors as the most popular resource for healthcare information, but healthcare professionals still hold the upper hand in retaining consumers’ trust when addressing health-related issues and questions.

The study also finds that one-third of online health searchers use social media resources, and that search

engines dominate as the starting point for health care searches.

The study, commissioned by iCrossing, a global digital marketing company, is the latest in an ongoing series of studies to quantify how people search for and find information online.

The complete report, as well as past How America Searches studies, can be found at www.icrossing.com/research.