Farmington Hills, Mich. — Health insurers may appreciate the results of a new national survey, which reveals that 27% of American adults now say they are "extremely likely or somewhat likely" to create an online personal health record (PHR) to help track their medical history and medications.
"This movement is being driven by the availability of new technology as well as by people's desire to take control of their own health care and have manageable access to their medical information," says Susan Semack, VP of the
Recently, Internet giants Google and Microsoft, along with traditional online health service companies such as WebMD and Revolution Health, have begun offering online personal health record services at no charge. "As awareness of these kinds of services builds," Semack says, "many people will be open to using them."
The likelihood of subscribing to these new online services does not vary by age—Americans aged 55 and older are as likely to create an online PHR as younger Americans. "Older Americans recognize the value of centralizing a long history of medical information, and many are not intimidated by using the Internet to create a PHR," adds Semack.
Meanwhile, awareness of the Federal government initiative to create a nationwide system of electronic medical records by 2014 is edging up. Currently, 56% report they are familiar with this initiative compared to 50% two months ago.
Morpace Omnibus Study interviews were completed with 1,015 consumers selected from an Internet panel of adults aged 18 and over. The sample's demographic profile is reflective of the U.S. population.
Source: PRNewswire
