About 50% of parents say they would like to communicate electronically with their child's physician office about clinical and administrative services, according to a new National Poll on Children's Health, Modern Healthcare reports.
For the poll, C.S. Mott Children's Hospital surveyed 1,612 parents of children ages 17 or younger about how they communicate with their child's health care provider (Conn, Modern Healthcare, 5/18).
The survey found that about half of parents would like to use Web-based communication to:
- Request immunization or laboratory records;
- Schedule appointments;
- Complete screening forms; or
- Refill prescriptions.
The poll also found that less than 15% of parents said they currently have the ability to communicate with physician offices via e-mail or the Internet.
Matthew Davis, director of the NPCH, said many physicians are hesitant to use electronic communication because of concerns about reimbursement and medical liability issues.
The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus one to four percentage points (United Press International, 5/18).