The “Dr Google” Effect: Online Health Information and Its Implications

Paolo Berta (), Carla Guerriero (), Sara Moccia (), Sara Muzzi () and Lorien Sabatino ()
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Paolo Berta: University of Milano-Bicocca
Carla Guerriero: University of Naples Federico II and CSEF, https://csef.it/people/carla-guerriero/
Sara Moccia: University of Naples Federico II.
Sara Muzzi: University of Milan-Bicocca
Lorien Sabatino: Politecnico of Torino (DIGEP)

CSEF Working Papers from Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy

Abstract: This paper investigates the causal impact of broadband diffusion on the consumption of diagnostic medical services in Lombardy, Italy, between 2013 and 2019. Using a difference-in-differences estimator for continuous treatments, we estimate the impact of increased internet availability on patient behavior in the healthcare system. Our findings suggest that greater broadband coverage leads to a significant rise in the number of diagnostic prescriptions, including magnetic resonance imaging scans, tomographs, and sonograms. We interpret this pattern as consistent with a behavioral mechanism: individuals with enhanced internet access are more likely to search for health information online, which may trigger anxiety or precautionary responses, ultimately increasing demand for medical testing. Boxplot analyses reveal a strong gradient across broadband coverage quartiles, reinforcing the association between digital access and healthcare utilization. These results raise important considerations for health policy, particularly regarding digital health literacy and the design of interventions to manage demand in digitally connected health systems.

Keywords: Broadband; Continuous treatment, Diff-in-Diff, Overprescription. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-10-15
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea and nep-ict
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sef:csefwp:763

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