How social media is shaping patient behavior: Insights for pharma marketers

Sep 15
What's the role of social media in the patient journey? Younger patients often begin their research on social media, while online communities and influencers provide guidance, support, and reassurance that can shape decisions before speaking with their healthcare professional. 


Our Social Media Strategy & Planning course includes a section dedicated to the social landscape as it relates to healthcare. To give you a taste of our course content, we've included below some key statistics on social media behavior, insights for pharma marketers, and topline suggested actions for pharma marketers.  At the end you'll find a freebie download (with all these stats and more) to take with you. 

Key Takeaways 

29% of Gen Zers start their online research for medical information on social platforms.
Almost 1 in 4 people have self-diagnosed based on information found on social media. Less than half then sought a second opinion from a HCP.
51% of young people facing mental health challenges turn to social platforms as a substitute for professional support

Social media plays a key part of the healthcare journey

A recent report from EMARKETER1 revealed that 29% of Gen Zers and 26% of Millennials start their online research for medical information on social platforms. This trend is reinforced by a CharityRx study2 showing that 37% of respondents turn to influencers for health advice due to their easier accessibility compared with medical professionals

Insights

Younger patients, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, are increasingly using social media as their first stop for health information. Influencers are also playing a significant role in shaping health opinions because they are perceived as more accessible than traditional medical professionals. This indicates a shift in the patient journey: social media is no longer just supplementary, but its becoming the starting point for research and decision-making.

Actions

  • Conduct research to understand where your audience is finding information and let it guide your channel planning. Be audience-first and consider embracing new platforms like TikTok or Threads to meet them where they are.
  • Leverage credible influencers: Partner with healthcare influencers to share accurate, educational content in a relatable way. This can help bridge gaps when access to medical professionals is limited, such as when there are long wait times to see a specialist. See our course for guidance on how to work with healthcare influencers in a safe and compliant way.
  • Provide clear, trustworthy, and accessible information to help guide patients before they form opinions based on unverified sources. This article can support discussions with your compliance team on why an active social media presence is essential.
  • Monitor trends and social media discussions around your focus areas and health conditions to understand patient concerns and questions in real time.
  • Read our guidance on how to optimise your content for discovery in social media searches.

DIY diagnosing is on the rise

A recent survey of 1,000 Americans found that nearly 1 in 4 people have self-diagnosed using information from social media. This behavior is most common among younger generations, with 30% of Gen Z, 26% of Millennials, 20% of Gen X, and 15% of Baby Boomers self-diagnosing online3.

Less than half of those who self-diagnosed sought a second opinion from a medical professional, with Baby Boomers being the most likely to confirm (63%) and Gen X the least (38%).

Insights

Social media is influencing not just awareness but personal health decisions, particularly among younger audiences. Many patients may act on incomplete or inaccurate information without consulting a professional, highlighting the risks of DIY diagnosing. Younger generations are less likely to seek confirmation from healthcare professionals.

For pharma marketers, this presents both an opportunity to educate and a responsibility to ensure trustworthy information reaches patients, encouraging them to discuss health decisions with their healthcare professional.

Actions

  • Focus on supporting discussions with a healthcare professional at the right stage in a patient’s journey. Ensure you have mapped the full patient journey for your campaign so you can use the right messaging and media tactics to facilitate this. Use paid media targeting features, such as retargeting, to ensure people who have engaged with educational materials are prompted with relevant messages to visit their HCP. These retargeted messages can keep the idea of booking an appointment top of mind.

    Provide tools to support HCP discussions, such as discussion guides addressing common questions. Make it easy to take the next step, for example by integrating booking tools like HotDoc in Australia
  • Tools like symptom checkers can help to provide information when people are at the initial stages of their healthcare journey. These could be facilitated through interactive features on social media, like Messenger chatbots. 
  • Track social media conversations around health topics to identify misconceptions early and inform your content strategy.

Social media is a source of support for patients

Social media is increasingly playing a central role in providing support for people managing health conditions. In Australia, a ReachOut survey4 found that 51% of young people facing mental health challenges turn to social platforms as a substitute for professional support.

In Germany, nearly a third of patients in the country’s largest prostate cancer online support group reported revising their initial treatment decisions after participating in these communities5.

Across the UK and US, qualitative analyses of mental health–focused Facebook groups highlight that shared personal experiences and emotional support significantly benefit participants, demonstrating that social media communities can directly influence patient choices and well-being6.

Insights

These findings illustrate that social media is not just a source of information, it has become a space where patients exchange experiences, seek reassurance, and make decisions about treatments. Online communities can amplify patient voices, shape perceptions, and inform choices in ways that traditional channels cannot. In short, the commentary on social media matters. 

Actions

  • Conversation is a key reason people use social media. On TikTok, viewers often head straight to the comments, frequently saying, ‘I came straight to the comments,’ to see others’ reactions. Top consumer brands like Duolingo and Ryanair leverage this, adding personality and banter in responses to extend their brand presence. For campaigns, this highlights why keeping comments turned on is important. Don’t just monitor for adverse events or remove negativity, set up your team to facilitate dialogue and discussion. When harnessed properly, this is one of the most valuable aspects of being active on social media.
  • Check out our free sample course to learn how to prepare for meaningful two-way dialogue on social media in pharma.
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References
1. EMARKETER Survey "US Digital Health 2023", Jan 2024
2. CharityRx “The Shifting Role of Influence and Authority in the Rx Drug & Health Supplement Market”, September 2022
3. Tebra “Is self-diagnosis on social media helping or hurting people’s health?”, February 2025
4. ReachOut “How young people use social media for mental health information and support”
5. Huber J, Maatz P, Muck T, Keck B, Friederich HC, Herzog W, Ihrig A. The effect of an online support group on patients ׳ treatment decisions for localized prostate cancer: An online survey. Urol Oncol. 2017 Feb;35(2):37.e19-37.e28. doi: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2016.09.010. Epub 2016 Oct 31. PMID: 27810256
6. Prescott J, Rathbone AL, Brown G. Online peer to peer support: Qualitative analysis of UK and US open mental health Facebook groups. DIGITAL HEALTH. 2020;6. doi:10.1177/2055207620979209

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