Resumen
The article reports that a common reason consumers use the Internet is to search for health-related information. A survey found that 52 million citizens of the U.S. sought health information over the Internet at least once a month, and 40% of them indicated that online health information affected their health care decisions. But consumers are also concerned about the quality and reliability of health-related information on the Web. Trust has been recognized as a critical factor in the development and growth of e-commerce. The lack of consumer trust with respect to online privacy and security, for example, has prevented many consumers from engaging in online shopping. Many consumers are not comfortable divulging personal and financial information to a virtual storefront. The degree of consumer trust required for using a health portal is higher than for online shopping sites. In many cases, consumers must reveal highly sensitive personal information, including medical conditions and health history in order to receive useful information.