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Survey Results
What are Washingtonians saying about online personalized health records?
New people are filling out our online surveys every day. Here’s a brief overview of what we’re hearing so far:
First, a taste of some of the interesting comments people made in the write-in section of the survey:
“We already manage everything else online, why not our healthcare?”
“The combination of secure medical info that doesn’t go anywhere not needed and the instant access for my caregivers is a great help to me with the complicated health issues I face. Having my healthcare team be able to be kept better informed and up to date on any changes also provide me with a much higher quality of healthcare than I could possibly receive otherwise.”
“I would like to be able to access my health care records without having to go through my physician.”
“It would be good to have my medical information available in times of emergency and to inform my adult children of my care.”
“I think this would be great! As a nursing student, I know what a hassle it was to get all my immunizations together for verification. I had to call and visit many offices to find these records. The ones that could not be found, I ended up having to pay to go the doctor to have them done again.”
“Being able to track down old information about my health history-the kind of information doctors always ask for but is never at my fingertips.”
The vast majority (over 80%) of respondents felt that access to an online personalized health record would be very valuable if they, or people they cared for, were brought into the emergency room. The majority of survey respondents also rated the following features of an online personalized health record as “very valuable”:
- Tracks medication history and gives an up-to-date list of all medications
- Provides a record of drug, food and other allergies and drug reactions
- Tracks and gives access to immunization records
- Provides access to advanced directives, including Living Wills and Durable Power of Attorneys
- Provides access to lab results and lab test information
In the first survey, the biggest concern that we heard from respondents was privacy and security of their health information, but 70% of people wrote in positive comments about the idea of an online personalized health record. In fact, according to the second survey (which is still in the beginning stages), the vast majority of respondents said they would put their health information online if there was a verifiable audit trail, stiff penalties for illegal useor access, and if they have the authority to designate who can view it.
In the second survey, the two most important benefits identified by respondents were getting to choose to whom, what and when their record will be shared; and the ability to look at their health information and test results to be sure they are correct and up to date. 80% of the respondents for the second survey said that care would be “better and more efficient” or “quality of care would be better” if their doctor could access their personal health record.
About the Respondents
More than half of the people who have taken the first survey so far identify themselves as working in the health care industry, and most are women. Of all the age groups, people between the ages of 50-64 responded most frequently. A little less than half of respondents say they have a chronic condition, and most of the respondents said they had heard of personal health records before taking the survey.