Is social media changing the doctor-patient relationship?
Results from two recent surveys reaffirm longstanding trends in the ways patients of different ages use social media and the internet to access health information and communicate with physicians. The surveys' findings also illustrate the growing importance of social media in the doctor-patient relationship and underscore the communication challenges family physicians face while trying to meet the needs of a diverse patient base.
Social Media: To Friend or Not to Friend?
The first survey, (www.osteopathic.org) conducted on behalf of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), asked questions about social media use and the sharing of health information. Of the 2,204 U.S. adults surveyed, 551 were ages 18 to 34 and were categorized as millennials by the AOA.
Communication and Access
The second survey, (www.healthyagingpoll.org) part of the National Poll on Healthy Aging, asked a group of 2,013 older adults ages 50 to 80 about their experiences using secure online patient portals to obtain and exchange health information. Among the findings:
- Only 51 percent of those surveyed have actually set up an account on a patient portal. Higher rates were seen in women (56 percent compared to 45 percent for men) and adults with more education (59 percent for those with some college versus 40 percent for those who graduated from high school only).
- When asked why they had not set up a patient portal account, 40 percent of respondents said they did not like communicating about their health by computer; 38 percent didn't think it was necessary to set up a portal account; and 26 percent said they were not comfortable with technology.
- Among those who had set up an online portal account, 84 percent used it to view test results, 43 percent used it to refill a prescription, 37 percent used it to schedule an appointment, and 26 percent used it to get advice about a health problem.
Although online portals may solve some communication issues, many older adults appear to be more comfortable contacting their physician's office and speaking with the physician or a staff member.
Poll results showed that under some circumstances, older patients thought that talking by phone was more effective than using a patient portal. "Many older adults still prefer telephone contact with their providers," explained IHPI member Preeti Malani, M.D.,(www.upi.com) a professor of medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and the poll's director. "We hope providers, and health systems, will take these findings into consideration when designing the ways patients can interact with them," she told HealthDay News.