Consumer Attitudes Toward Personal Health Records and Health Information Exchange
Author Information
Author(s): Gunther Eysenbach, Ellen Beckjord, Dick Whiddett, Wen Kuang-Yi, Gary Kreps, Fang Zhu, Suzanne Miller
Primary Institution: Fox Chase Cancer Center
Hypothesis
What are consumer attitudes toward personal health records (PHRs) and health information exchange (HIE)?
Conclusion
Despite a high perceived importance of electronic access to personal health records, actual Internet use for tracking these records is low.
Supporting Evidence
- 86% of US adults rated electronic access to their PHRs as important.
- Only 9% of adults used the Internet for tracking PHRs.
- Hispanic individuals were more likely to value electronic access to PHRs.
- Older adults were less likely to value the importance of accessing PHRs electronically.
- Internet users were more likely to appraise the importance of accessible electronic personal health records.
Takeaway
Most people think having online access to their health records is important, but very few actually use the Internet to track their health information.
Methodology
Data from the 2007 Health Information National Trends Study was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression.
Potential Biases
Self-reported data may introduce social desirability bias.
Limitations
The survey only asked about Internet use for tracking personal health information, potentially underestimating actual usage.
Participant Demographics
Participants included a diverse group of US adults, with a focus on Internet users.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% CI for various odds ratios reported in the study.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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