Doctors, Patients view digital health tech differently

 Patients view emerging medical technology with more enthusiasm and support than health care professionals, according to a new survey.

The survey results show that consumers are more willing to adopt medical technology, from smartphones to genetic testing to patient-accessible electronic health records, while many medical providers have uneasy feelings about new tech.

Among clinicians, the survey found more than 90% were concerned that patients would experience anxiety after accessing health records, while nearly 82% felt access would lead to requests for unnecessary medical evaluations.

“The sensitive issue of ownership and access to medical records, where a large gap between consumer and provider expectations exists despite recent clinical validation of transparency, requires considerable further attention,” the study states.

The survey published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research assessed the attitudes of more than 1,400 health care providers and 1,100 consumers.

Read more about the results at Health Data Management online.