Data Points

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Which Entities Do Consumers Trust Most To Oversee a Database of Patient Information?

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Half of surveyed consumers said they would most trust a physician office or organization to regulate a central database of electronic patient information, according to a study published in the Annals of Family Medicine.

The study found that 16% of surveyed consumers said they would most trust a health plan to oversee a patient database, 7% said they would most trust a hospital and 7% said they would most trust the government. Eighteen percent of surveyed consumers said they would most trust some other entity with overseeing a patient database.

The study is based on a random digit dial telephone survey of 152 residents of the Hudson Valley region of New York state. It was conducted between January and April 2008.

Source: Annals of Family Medicine, "Health Care Consumers' Preferences Around Health Information Exchange," September/October 2012

Reader Comments:
  • 1
  • 10/04/2012
  • ERICK MCKESSON

This is a pretty weak study.
1. It's 4 years old. I would argue that consumer knowledge of HIT has improved somewhat over that time.
2. This was a random digit telephone survey. That automatically adds bias to the population - leaning towards people who still own landline phones, actually answer their landline when from an unknown number, and are home during during survey hours (probably mid day).
3. The entire population is from Hudson Valley - an area with majority of elderly population.

It is very likely that most participants are elderly individuals. I would suggest that the elderly have much less knowledge of how health information is stored electronically. Also, I feel there tends to be an overwhelming sense of trust in the MD credential in this population, which may cause them to think their physician would be the most secure holder of data (I think of my grandma saying that being a doctor or lawyer was the only respectable career path).



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