With the development of research and technology, there has been tremendous growth in medical content generation and consumption, especially among doctors, for the uptake of new information. Focusing on data consumption by clinicians or doctors still studying online was surveyed. These surveys may not exactly depict the physicians’ online referrals but provide an approximate estimation. 

Previously, physicians used sources like Google and emails for clinical information. This clinical information is based on studies exploring treatment and patient education to improve the physician-patient relationship, diagnosis, and decision-making. However, as Google was not an authentic source of information, physicians were inclined to use information sources like MEDLINE, Cochrane systematic reviews, peer-reviewed medical journals, or medical website portals to access evidence-based medicine information. In a 2011 survey of electronic resources used in countries like the US, Canada and the UK, only 30% of doctors opted for such sources, with >50% intention to update knowledge and /or skills. 

Doctors in the US had a higher percentage of using electronic resources than the UK, with most doctors preferring information from their own country instead of another. This had some barriers. In the research work by Ringrose T, ‘How do doctors spend their time online? 2014 also highlighted a survey on doctor’s online engagements with a focus on the hours spent online, and specific content consumed in their time. It was observed that most doctors spent time online for leisure activities, followed by work-related activities. Most doctors surveyed online activities were to view guidelines and CME content, followed by medical news and treatment options. 

This indicates that medical and scientific publishers invest their resources in developing up-to-date information and require high-quality information related to point-of-care summaries, as per Kwag KH 2016. In a survey on information related to pharmaceutical products, clinicians preferred independent sources instead of rep meetings. This depicted that the CME information independent search by doctors was not related to pharmaceutical products—a potential need for medical and scientific emphasis on product information for doctors.

The article by Burky in 2022 in Fierce Healthcare mentioned that physicians were overwhelmed by the amount of reading needed to stay updated with current advancements. 

Much of the medical content was long-form, toned dry, and required active reading, which was impossible for clinicians with their workload, as per JAMA article 2023. Even after replacing thick medical books with digital information in review articles, journals, or long medical blogs, the content remained the same, and doctors faced burnout. Hence, the development of concise, pictographic content drew the attention of all physicians. So, many doctors harnessed social media (e.g., Twitter, Instagram, etc.) to debate certain advancements. However, there was a need for proof of such information. Hence, Bioethicists played an important role in developing standards of conduct with healthcare professionals using social media and e-health platforms for their knowledge.  

This regulation of bioethicists regulated the use of social media, denoting facts over fake news on health claims, regulating case studies, etc. In recent years, the FDA has attempted to enforce its marketing regulations for medical products advertised on social media, but significant challenges remain. Hence, most pharmaceutical companies have taken the moral and legal responsibilities of fact-checking, verifying related articles, and incorporating professionally integrated information into healthcare sectors. This was focused more after the COVID pandemic, where the awareness gave rise to high-quality, concise medical content input for physicians. 

This shift of adapting to a virtual environment and incorporating ways of communicating facts and scientific inputs in the form of infographics and data visualization in the form of algorithms, summaries, and newsletters was effective and desired by the healthcare community. Many other upcoming digital platforms, like webinars or presentations, with planning the dissemination of crucial medical information, have boosted doctors’ uptake of information. 

These advances, combined with the boom of artificial intelligence (AI), may upscale the process of information generation and uptake in the future. However, this is currently under consideration with legal authorities regarding the authenticity of data.