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Study
Shows Internet Has Changed How Americans Manage Their Health |
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March 1, 2007 -- A new study, commissioned by Cisco Systems, found that one in three Americans feels the Internet "has changed the way I go about managing and maintaining my health" and that nearly one in four reported they were a healthier person today because of the Internet. While this mirrors what other studies have found, the Cisco report reveals important findings about specific populations and uses. For example, patients with chronic illnesses were not only more likely to use the Internet for health-related purposes, but experienced a greater impact as well. 63 percent of chronic disease patients said the Web had improved their ability to manage their health; 41 percent credited the Internet with actually changing the way they approached their health care. The top-rated primary goal for using online tools in this group was to become an "equal partner with my care providers in making my health decisions." The top health-related activity among all polled was "access to symptoms and diagnostic information". The study results were based on a poll of 4,105 adults conducted by Illuminas over the past two weeks and were released at this week's annual meeting of the Health Information and Management Systems Society in New Orleans. Burt Cohen, Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Angioplasty.Org, an informational site about minimally invasive heart and vascular treatments, stated: "This study validates and quantifies what we've been seeing. Angioplasty.Org is celebrating its 10th year online and the audience of patients looking for information about devices like stents, new imaging tests like multislice CT, and medications like Plavix has grown continually. Patients want to know the latest news and get a handle on what their treatment options are, so they can have an informed discussion with their physicians." While the poll showed that the Internet accounted for three of the top five sources of information, the study also revealed a slowness of the medical community in adapting to the Internet -- consumers expressed clear indications that they would like their physicians to utilize internet-based tools more. The study revealed that 62 percent said that their doctor doesn't offer Internet-based tools such as the ability to directly email them, schedule an appointment online, or check a web site with information on the practice or doctors credentials. And only 27 percent responded that medical providers have fully embraced the Internet to deliver health information and services. By far, one of the most important concerns of health care consumers was privacy. When asked what factors would keep them from using Internet tools more, the top concerns were that private medical information would be released unnecessarily, that identity information might be stolen or abused, and that medical information might be used to discriminate against them. Clearly a revolution in health care has been occurring. Patients are more active in their own health and are taking more control of their treatment options, preferring to be a partner with their physician in determining how to stay healthy and, if they have a disease, how best to manage it.
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