A recent Accenture survey of over 9,000 consumers in nine countries shows that only 16% of consumers residing in England say they have full access to their electronic medical records. By stating they would be willing to switch doctors in order to gain access to their electronic medical records (EMR), 42% of English support the growing trend toward digital patient engagement.
Over 75% of those surveyed express their feeling of entitlement to EMR access, a belief not shared by 34% of doctors. As a matter of fact, over 60% of the healthcare providers in England believe patients should only have limited access to their electronic record.
Also surveyed was consumers’ attitudes in managing their own health, with majority of English consumers (63%) reporting they do not self-track personal health information such as blood pressure, weight and physical activity. In other countries surveyed, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany, Singapore, Spain and the United States, this figure stands at 49%.
Aimie Chapple, managing director for Accenture’s UK health business, explains that with the increase in patients expecting to take ownership of their medical care, digital medical records were evolving into a platform for shared decision-making between patients and doctors, away from a simple clinical repository.
Chapple went on to state that access to the records still remained limited despite the fact that many English consumers were willing to switch doctors in their quest for access. The Accenture survey also underlined the need to a greater collaboration within the NHS for enabling this.
Nearly all English consumers and doctors overwhelmingly agreed that some EMR access should be granted to patients, however 67% declared not having any access at all.
Chapple added that taking ownership and managing personal health information would assist health providers to identify health risks at a much earlier stage, and concluded that the survey revealed a need to promote the benefits more widely to consumers: “When patients are part of the record-keeping process, it can increase their understanding of their condition and the treatment needed.”
The full report can be viewed on this page of Accenture's website.
Source: Accenture
7 November 2013
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Healthcare, EMR, survey, accenture
A recent Accenture survey of over 9,000 consumers in nine countries shows that only 16% of consumers residing in England say they have full access to their...
