Doctors' use of Health Info Technology Influences Patients' Choice, Says Poll

The latest Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Poll reveals that the medical profession is lagging behind other service sectors and professions in its use of Internet-based solutions to communicate with and manage customer information -- in this case, patients and their medical information. Patients would like to see medicine move in this direction, and most adults say that they would like to have access to electronic medical records and other electronic means of communicating and transferring medical information. If given a choice between a doctor who provides such services and one who does not, more than half of all adults believe this would influence their choice of doctors. In the future, physician practices that choose to invest in and use health information technology could find themselves at an advantage.

These are some of the results of an online survey of 2,624 U.S. adults, ages 18 and older, conducted by Harris Interactive between September 5 and 7, 2006 for The Wall Street Journal Online.

Though very few adults currently use or have access to the following technologies when seeking care from a doctor or hospital, majorities would like to have access to them:

• A large majority of adults (77%) would like reminders via email from their doctors when they are due for a visit or some type of medical care (4% currently use this technology, and another 3% have it available to them, but do not use).
• Three-quarters of adults (75%) say they would like to have the ability to schedule a doctor's visit via the Internet (3% currently use and 4% have it available to them, but do not use).
• Many adults (74%) would like to use email to communicate directly with their doctor (4% currently use and 4% have it available to them, but do not use).
• Approximately two-thirds of adults (67%) would like to receive the results of diagnostic tests via email (2% currently use and 3% have it available to them, but do not use).
• Sixty-four percent of adults would like to have access to an electronic medical record to capture medical information (2% currently use, and 3% have it available to them, but do not use).
• Over half (57%) of adults say they would like to use a home monitoring device that allows them to send medical information -- like blood pressure readings or blood tests -- to the doctor's office via the telephone or email (2% currently use, and 3% have it available to them, but do not use).

When it comes to the value of using electronic medical records, most adults who are online agree strongly or somewhat that it would improve the quality and safety of medical care and reduce cost of healthcare. However, most also believe that electronic medical records may present a challenge to ensuring patients' privacy:

• The use of electronic medical records can improve the quality of care patients receive by reducing the number of redundant or unnecessary tests and procedures they receive (68%).
• The use of electronic medical records makes it more difficult to ensure patients' privacy (62%).
• The use of electronic medical records can significantly reduce healthcare costs (60%).
• The use of electronic medical records can significantly decrease the frequency of medical errors (55%).

The poll also indicates that the availability of online services could influence to some extent how patients choose health-care providers. Physicians' use of email to communicate directly with them or a family member would also have a great impact on patients' decisions.

Attitudes toward electronic medical records: "How strongly do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?"