The last two years have seen a rapid increase in online doctor consultations. Telemedicine has given patients more accessible access to primary health care.  As per Lybrate, online consultations have jumped by 87 per cent in Tier-II and Tier-III cities like Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Lucknow whereas Metros witnessed a 75 per cent increase in the same time period. 

The study also found that more women are now opting for online consultations. Online appointments by women grew by over 65 per cent in 2022 as compared to 2021.

The most consulted specialties include gastroenterology and ENT, which reportedly grew by over 150 per cent followed by dermatology and internal medicine which grew by 125 per cent, psychiatry and paediatrics (110 per cent) and gynaecology consultations grew by 100 per cent in 2022.

Young adults under 25 are more curious about sexual health-related guidance by posting queries on the platform, such as masturbation addiction, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), pregnancy and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

The data also revealed that people between 25 to 45 years majorly book consultations for their kids or issues related to sexual or mental health. Those above 45 years primarily seek consultations on chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, post-COVID-19 complications and thyroid-related ailments.

Some of the highest searched keywords among men across age groups were said to be masturbation addiction, penile enlargement and erectile dysfunction. Meanwhile, PCOS, healthy pregnancy and irregular periods were the highest searched keywords among women across India.

The data has been collated from the 111 million interactions that happened between users and doctors on the Lybrate platform in 2022.

"The pandemic has brought a massive shift in patient behaviour, especially most of them seeking medical consultations and communicating with doctors online and offline. We are not only witnessing a great demand for online consultations, but offline consultations have also jumped by over two times in the past year," said Harsimarbir Singh, co-founder of Pristyn Care. 

"It is encouraging to see that Indians are becoming more and more health conscious. We are committed to doing our bit in promoting preventive healthcare in the country and these insights are important to set the direction of healthcare delivery to make it accessible and affordable," he added.

More than 380,000 certified doctors from over 100 specialties are present on the Lybrate platform nationwide. In addition, its doctor-facing app, GoodMD, is a robust network of doctors, allowing healthcare experts to connect with each other, said Prystyn Care.

In 2022, Pristyn Care announced the acquisition of the health-tech platform Lybrate to bring in synergies on overall healthcare delivery and foray into primary care.