Engaging Consumers: Research Findings: Finding 2
Finding No. 2. The more consumers learn about the creation of secure electronic health information exchange, the greater their support. Initial response to the term "secure electronic health information exchange" without any further information provided is relatively neutral, however the overall impression becomes significantly more positive when presented with a brief definition of the term.
Respondents were asked to rate their overall impression of the term "secure electronic health information exchange" on a scale of one to 100, where one meant they had a very negative reaction to the term, 100 meant they had a very positive reaction to the term and fifty was neutral. They could use any number between one and 100 depending on how they felt. The results are provided below.
- 12% Provided a rating of 80-100
- 15% Provided a rating of 51-79
- 37% Provided a rating of 50
- 30% Provided a rating of 1-49
- 48% Overall Mean Rating
Respondents' overall impression of health information exchange becomes significantly more positive when presented with the following brief definition of the term, with the overall mean rating increasing from 48 percent to 64 percent.
The definition presented to respondents of the survey was as follows:
"Health information exchange is a way to electronically move your personal health and medical information securely between your doctors, hospitals and other health care providers when it is needed for your care. With your consent, your health information will be protected and exchanged under current medical privacy and confidentiality standard procedures. Secure electronic health information exchange allows you to make sure your health information is available when and where you need it while seeking medical care or treatment."
As the chart below demonstrates, respondents' impressions of secure health information exchange increased as they better understood the meaning of the phrase.
