With the push toward increased patient engagement, healthcare providers, health IT vendors and mHealth developers are seeking to boost patient use of technologies.
Here are six key findings on consumer health IT use, from a new Booz Allen Hamilton and Ipsos Public Affairs report titled "How we View Health Care in America."
1. While 70 percent of consumers have a smartphone or tablet, only 20 percent indicate using a mobile app or interactive website in the past six months to monitor or manage their health or health insurance.
2. Consumers more likely to use mobile apps or interactive websites are under 55 years of age, report incomes more than $50,000, have children, and have college degrees.
3. Of the consumers who use apps or websites to manage or monitor their health, 60 percent use them for general health reference, to monitor exercise or check health insurance coverage or claims.
4. Forty percent of consumers said their healthcare providers suggested some of the apps to them.
5. Providers were most likely to offer patients apps that enable appointment scheduling, access to medical records and secure messaging.
6. The majority of consumers — 82 percent — said privacy and security of personal medical information is either very or extremely important.
The report surveyed 1,000 adults in August 2014 online. Researchers also surveyed 400 of the respondents online, including 100 primary care providers, 200 specialists and 100 hospital and health system administrators.
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