Consumers wary but support EHRs, HIEs

Consumers are concerned about the privacy and security of their medical records regardless of whether they are paper or electronic, according to a new data brief from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.

Public trust is vital to the spread of EHRs and health information exchanges (HIEs) and public support remains strong for these efforts, suggesting that consumers are aware of the benefits despite the risks, the brief concludes.

A poll of more than 2,000 people conducted in 2013 revealed that seven in 10 were concerned about the privacy of their medical records, and three out of four were concerned about security. However, less than one in 10 reported withholding information from their doctor because of those concerns.

People whose doctor used paper records were slightly more concerned about privacy and security, while those whose physician used an EHR were a bit more likely to withhold information.

In addition, six in 10 people were concerned about unauthorized viewing of their records when they were sent electronically between healthcare providers, a proportion similar to those worried about unauthorized viewing when records were exchanged by fax.

Three out of four respondents wanted their provider to use an EHR despite any privacy or security concerns and seven in 10 supported their provider's participation in a health information exchange.

The results are similar to the findings from a similar survey conducted the year prior.