Majority of Consumers Predict Information Technology Will Improve Health Care Quality, Survey Finds

A majority of U.S. consumers agree that information technology will increase the quality of health care, but more than half remain concerned about problems related to expanded IT use, according to a recent Harris Interactive survey. According to the survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults, 59% percent of respondents said that increased IT use will help them manage their health, and 63% said that IT will prevent unnecessary physician visits. More than half of respondents expect to benefit from reduced costs that may result from increased IT use, the survey found. However, 53% of respondents said that new IT developments will make health care more complicated, and 60% said that IT will replace personal care. More than 75% of respondents raised concerns that physicians could "miss subtle clues" about their conditions in an online consultation that they would find in a traditional office visit, and 61% said that IT will increase the cost of health care. The health benefits company Health First commissioned the survey (Health First release, 12/11).

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