• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, September 9, 2010

According to the comScore/ImpactRx Physician Behavioral Measurement solution, 81% of physicians online visited Health Care Professional (HCP) content sites in Q1 2010, leading as the most-visited health-related content category among physicians. HCP sites also captured 48% of physicians' overall time spent on health-related sites, the largest share of any category.

John Mangano, comScore vice president of pharmaceutical marketing solutions, said "... physicians are increasingly turning to digital media as a source of health-related information to supplement their practice... understanding which health-related destinations are frequented by physicians, brand marketers and advertisers can effectively reach and engage this audience segment."

General Health Content, including sites such as WebMD.com and About.com Health, reached 75% of physicians, with Association sites reaching 67%. Pharma Support and Pharmaceuticals both reached half of physicians (51% and 50% respectively).

When looking at engagement, HCP content accounted for the largest share of physicians' time spent on health sites at 48% and captured the largest share of visits to health content at 33%. Strong engagement also occurred at

• Pharma Support sites with 8% share of total minutes and 11% share of visits
• Clinic sites, 11% share of minutes, 6% share of visits
• Association sites, 7% share of minutes, 8% share of visits

Percent Reach of Health Categories Among Physicians (Q1 2010 Total U.S. Home/Work/University Locations)
Health Category	% Reach of Physicians Online	Share of Minutes at Health Categories	Share of Visits at Health Categories
HCP Content	81%	48%	33%
General Health Content	75%	2%	10%
Association	67%	7%	8%
Pharma Support	51%	8%	11%
Pharmaceuticals	50%	2%	3%
Government	48%	2%	4%
Health & Wellness	40%	2%	4%
Social Media	40%	6%	6%
Insurance	38%	5%	7%
Physician Locator	35%	1%	2%
Clinic	31%	11%	6%
Medical Journal	30%	1%	2%
Pharmacy Services	22%	6%	4%
Source: comScore, August, 2010

An analysis of the top health sites visited by physicians revealed that Medscape.com was the most-visited HCP site and the most-visited overall health site during the first quarter, reaching 57% of physicians. WebMD.com ranked as the top General Health Content site for physicians, while NIH.gov led as the most-visited government site. In the Pharmaceuticals category, Wyeth.com (now part of Pfizer) led, while DoctorDirectory.com led as the top Pharma Support site.

Percent Reach of Top Sites in Each Health Category Among Physicians (Q1 2010, Total U.S. Home/Work/University Locations)
	Top Site per Category by percent Reach	Percent Reach of Physicians Online
HCP Content	Medscape.com	57.0%
General Health Content	WebMD.com	20.5%
Association	AAFP.org	17.0%
Pharma Support	DoctorDirectory.com	22.0%
Pharmaceuticals	Wyeth.com (now part of Pfizer)	6.3%
Government	NIH.gov	30.5%
Health & Wellness	Thatsfit.com	8.3%
Social Media	SERMO.com	21.3%
Insurance	Ucomparehealthcare.com	11.3%
Physician Locator	Healthgrades.com	26.0%
Clinic	Clinicaloptions.com	3.5%
Medical Journal	NEJM.org	13.0%
Pharmacy Services	Allscripts.com	3.5%
Source: comScore, August 2010

For additional information, please visit comScore here.