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Online Health Information Seeking Scale (OHISS)

Online Health Information Seeking Scale (OHISS) Test

In 1 minute, understand how often and how intensely you search online for symptoms and health advice. Get quick insight that supports better conversations, targeted guidance, and smarter care decisions.

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Questions: 41 minute

Hi! My name is Freudly, i am an AI therapist, I will give you an interpretation of the test after you complete it.

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

20,385 views

2,304 completions

1,909 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

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How the Scales are Structured

example score

18/20

Online Health Information Seeking (OHIS)

Measures how strongly a person tends to search for and use online sources to obtain health and medical information.

Low seeking

Moderate seeking

High seeking

4 – 6: Low seeking | 7 – 14: Moderate seeking | 15 – 20: High seeking

A score of 18 falls in the High seeking range, indicating frequent and active searching for health information online.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Worried symptom searchers

41%OF USERS

People who often google new or unclear symptoms to calm fears, decide what to do next, or check if they should see a doctor.

Patients managing conditions

34%OF USERS

People with chronic or recurring health issues who regularly look up treatment options, side effects, and lifestyle advice to feel more in control.

Clinicians and psychology researchers

25%OF USERS

Professionals who use the scale to assess clients’ online health information habits and how they relate to anxiety, trust, and decision-making.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE

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Used in 52+ countries

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See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Online Health Information-Seeking Scale (OHIS)

Average

15.3

Normal range

13.1 — 17.6

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this questionnaire measure?

It measures how often and how actively a person searches for health and medical information on the internet. It focuses on typical online search habits rather than medical knowledge.

How long does it take to complete?

Estimated completion time is about 1 minute. It includes 4 items.

How should responses be selected?

Select the option that best matches usual behavior, not rare exceptions. Answer quickly and use the first reasonable choice.

What topics are covered?

Items refer to searching for symptoms, diagnoses, treatments, and other health-related information online. The focus is on seeking behavior and level of engagement.

How are results typically used?

Results can support psychological or clinical assessment of online health information-seeking patterns. They may help interpret health-related worry, reassurance seeking, or reliance on web sources during consultations.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Online Health Information Seeking Scale (OHISS) Test - Symptoms and Signs

cyberpsychology health

This brief self-report measure assesses how frequently an individual seeks health-related information online. The Online Health Information Seeking Scale (OHISS) is intended to characterize typical patterns of internet-based health information seeking in clinical or research contexts.

The instrument includes 4 items and typically takes about 1 minutes to complete. Items ask respondents to rate their usual online health information seeking behaviors, which may be used to describe engagement with digital sources for health questions. The Online Health Information Seeking Scale (OHISS) was developed by R. E. Rice and T. L. Thompson.

Author: R. E. Rice, T. L. Thompson

Literature: Norman, C. D., & Skinner, H. A. eHealth literacy: Essential skills for consumer health in a networked world. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2006.; Zhu, X., Zheng, T., Ding, L., Zhang, X. Exploring associations between eHealth literacy, cyberchondria, online health information seeking and sleep quality among university students: A cross-section study. Heliyon. 2023.

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