Surveys: Internet widely used for healthcare information
A Healthcare InfoTech Staff Report
Two surveys issued recently highlight the merger of healthcare and Internet use in this country, with important implications concerning the potential market power of consumers in this arena.
About 17.5 million adults in the U.S. 43% of the 40.6 million who use the Internet use it to search for health information, according to the "1999 Environmental Assessment: Rising to the Challenge of a New Century," just released by Deloitte & Touche and VHA Inc.
Additionally, a survey released by Schwarz Pharma (Mequon, WI) reports that 29% of all Americans have used the Internet to gather medical information about diseases or treatments for themselves or a family member.
The Deloitte & Touche/VHA survey reports that nearly half of those using the Internet for gathering health care data are seeking information on a specific disease condition. Many "are also interested in learning more about educational services, medications, physical fitness, and alternative medicine," according to a summary of the survey.
Why are they using the Internet for this purpose? Often it is because they don’t get such information from traditional sources. The study reports that more than two-thirds of patients in the U.S. do not receive literature about their condition or their child’s condition from their physicians, and only one-third say they receive information about their medications.
"Consumers are demanding the information to help them make informed decisions about their medical care," said Daniel Bourque, group senior vice president, VHA. "No longer dependent solely on their physicians’ word on diagnoses and treatments, the Internet is enabling patients to uncover the information themselves."
A key question, however, is the accuracy of Internet information. "Even when information does come from the web site of a reputable source, consumers often do not have the knowledge to judge whether it applies to their own situation,'" said Merlin Olson, principal at Deloitte & Touche. "Patients therefore still need to talk to their physician in order to best utilize the information they’ve received."
The Environmental Assessment report also provides clues to major trends in healthcare and ways in which the industry can best utilize the Internet and other IT technologies. Some of those conclusions include:
Physicians need better access to the Internet. Web sites are expected to play a more important clinical role for many organizations. Traditionally focused on delivering content to users and marketing an organization's services, these are now expected to play a more important role in delivering ancillary application data such as lab and radiology results. Overall, the study found that 53% of physicians believe that using secure web sites to report lab results would be of great value.Somewhat predictably perhaps, the survey found that information systems (IS) staff typically have better Internet access than the clinical staff. The IS department often acts as a gatekeeper, controlling access to the Internet and respective services. And while 45% of healthcare organizations plan to offer Internet access to physicians and other clinical staff, many institutions are not using the Internet for clinical applications at all.
"Limited clinical access is a barrier that organizations must overcome for providers to deliver better health care and achieve cost savings," Bourque said. "Delivering quality health care will increasingly depend on the ability to process patient information and share data across the care continuum."
The industry is planning major increases in Internet use for supply chain applications. Information technology is making it possible to deliver both clinical and materials management information. Meanwhile, continued use of paper-based processes mean that healthcare is lagging behind other U.S. industries in cost and quality improvements. Only 6% of the healthcare industry uses the Internet for supply chain management applications, compared to an average of 25% for all U.S. industry. The survey reports that most healthcare providers (58%) are gearing up for greater Internet use for supply chain applications.Titled "Pulse Beat," the Schwarz Pharma survey looked at the particular demographics of those seeking information on the net. Women more often used it for this purposes than men 33% vs. 24%. And those in the 18-44 age group are almost twice as likely to surf for medical information than the 55-and-over group 35% vs. 19%
This survey also was released with a warning about the quality of Internet information.
Klaus Veitinger, Schwarz Pharma president, called medical information on the Internet a "doubled-edged sword," and he warned against using it "for self-diagnosis or treatment." He called Internet and other forms of print and broadcast medical information "a starting point, rather than a be-all and end-all. Such information simply provides the means to form more educated questions for their physicians."
The Environmental Assessment survey is in its 12th year and incorporates both primary and secondary data, according to Deloitte & Touche/VHA.
Deloitte & Touche is part of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, a global provider of professional services with more than 82,000 employees in more than 130 countries. VHA is a nationwide network of more than 1,800 community-owned healthcare organizations and their physicians. For information about ordering the Environmental Assess ment report, call (800) 931-0053.
The Schwarz Pharma survey was conducted by Caravan Opinion Research International (Princeton, NJ).
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