Based on public opinion and attitude research done in support of the InformationSTAT campaign (July, 2006), having immediate access to a patient’s medical information in an emergency medical situation is clearly seen by those surveyed in the Gulf Coast region as the most important reason to have secure electronic health information exchange.

 

Respondents were asked the following question: “And thinking about different situations where and when you might want to have secure electronic health information exchange available, which one of the following situations would be most important to you to have this service available to you, your doctors or health care providers?”

                     46%    Having access in an emergency medical situation
                    14%     Having access to your medical record when you are out of state
                    10%     Having access to your medical history when you visit your doctor
                      9%     Having access during or after natural disasters
                      7%     Transferring lab results, reports or x-rays between health care providers
                      5%     Having access to your medication history when you want to refill your prescriptions

 

Researchers tested messages in support of secure electronic health information exchange and while all messages tested and worked well, looking at intensity, there are clear winners which the majority of respondents find very convincing. As found in the focus groups, the strongest messages focused on the urgency of care, the need for secure electronic health information exchange in making critical treatment decisions, and instances where having information can mean the difference between life and death.

 

“Secure electronic health information exchange will allow physicians to access the right medical information at the right time. In an emergency, getting a patient’s medical records quickly could mean the difference between life and death.”

 

Surprisingly the messages that the researchers tested focusing on natural disasters did not test very well in the focus groups. However, based on the learnings from the focus groups researchers in association with working group responsible for development of the InformationSTAT campaign redrafted a message on the benefits of having HIE in a natural disaster. The rewritten message rises to the top as one of the more powerful messages.

 

“We need to be better prepared in cases of emergency including natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina to be able to retrieve or recover our medical information. Secure electronic health information exchange will allow doctors to work with evacuees and residents so they would have access to medication histories essential for understanding the medical history of their new patients. For pharmacists, it would help reconstruct customers’ medication records and prescription needs. This would help make sure evacuees and residents have access to their medications and treatment when they need it most.”

 

Other top messages focused on the use of HIE in emergency situations and the impact secure electronic health information exchange has on the quality of care patients receive.

 

Messages that did not test as well focused on lowering costs, patient convenience, and patients’ ability to access their own records.

 

Focus Group – Messages That Did Not Test Well