Dive Brief:
- Nearly all U.S. residents say they would be willing to share their personal health data with researchers if it would help them better understand illness or improve their treatment, a survey by Makovsky Health and Kelton found, Clinical Innovation & Technology reports.
- The study, which surveyed 1,001 U.S. residents over age 18, found that 90% of respondents would be willing to share their personal health data if doing so would help researchers better understand medical conditions, improve care quality or improve treatment options.
- In other findings, researchers learned that while the percent of respondents using a desktop computer to access health info fell from 83% in 2013 to 69% in 2014, respondents using a mobile phone to access the information climbed to 19%, up from 6% last year.
Dive Insight:
With nine out of 10 respondents to the survey suggesting that they're willing to share the data to help with their care and accomplish other useful clinical purposes, we may be a turning point. In the past, consumer surveys often suggested that patients were afraid to share their data, largely for privacy reasons. But today, it appears that nearly all U.S. adults see the efficacy of this sharing.