Internet use transforming patient-provider relationships

For years, we at FierceHealthIT have described the gradual emergence of online communications between providers and patients. For most of this time, such communication was just a now-and-then phenomenon, used by only a few tech-savvy patients and doctors. Now, however, the pieces are arguably coming together to bring less web-savvy patients and doctors into the digital world, observers note.

For example, while patients have began using medical information sites such as WebMD.com, their use is becoming particularly common, with almost three-quarters of U.S. adults looking up health information online, according to HealthLeaders Media. Armed with such research, patients are increasingly bringing more sophisticated knowledge of their options to their visits with doctors, which prompts more helpful discussions during office visits.

Patients are also becoming much more interested in communicating with their providers via email, telemedical tools such as remote monitoring and web portals. According to a survey by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, over 70 percent of consumers want greater online access to an integrated medical record featuring test results and data from doctor visits and hospital stays. And three out of four consumers want doctors to exchange emails with them, schedule appointments online and provide access to test results and medical records, with 25 percent saying they would pay more for such services.

Not only that, consumers are increasingly using web-based measures of provider performance. The Deloitte survey found that 23 percent of consumers compared doctors' qualifications online before choosing one, and 45 percent are likely to do so in the future. Meanwhile, 16 percent of consumers have compared hospitals before choosing one, with 47 percent likely to do so in the future.

To learn more about these trends:
- read this iHealthBeat piece

Related Articles:
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