Mayo Clinic and Microsoft Corp. Report Findings from National Survey on Managing Health Information
ROCHESTER, Minn. and REDMOND, Wash., May 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Organizing personal medical information is even more time consuming than managing most health conditions, according to a new national consumer survey commissioned by Mayo Clinic and Microsoft Corp. In addition, consumers cited their own inability to remember information as a barrier to effective health management.
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The study, titled "Managing Family Health and Health Information," resulted from an online survey of 1,065 adults that was conducted by Opinion Research Corporation on April 1 and 2, 2010.
Nearly one-third of survey respondents said they spend more time "keeping information organized" than they do finding answers to health questions or dealing with chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis.
The survey also showed that nearly nine out of 10 people (90 percent of women and 84 percent of men) have left their doctor's office without asking an important medical question or telling their physician crucial information affecting their health. Almost half confessed they do this regularly. The result: Patients may go without the answers they need to manage their health, or they may call their physicians with questions later, creating inefficiencies for providers.
Even outside the doctor's office, people have a difficult time remembering vital information about family health histories (28 percent), names and doses of medication (25 percent), and when they are due for a check-up (20 percent).
Mayo Clinic and Microsoft co-developed Mayo Clinic Health Manager, a free online application that helps people organize and keep track of health information for themselves and their families. The privacy- and security-enhanced online application allows people to store their medical information and act on it, with real-time, individualized health guidance and recommendations based on the clinical expertise of Mayo Clinic.
"This survey underscores the need for consumers to become engaged partners in their health management," said Dr. Sidna Tulledge-Scheitel, M.D., MPH, a primary care physician and medical director of Mayo Clinic Global Products and Services. "Mayo Clinic Health Manager is a tool people can use to track information to better manage their health and their families' health between doctor's visits."
Consumers can learn more about Mayo Clinic Health Manager and create their accounts at www.mayoclinic.com.
About Microsoft HealthVault
Microsoft HealthVault is a personal health application platform designed to put consumers in control of their health information. HealthVault provides a privacy- and security-enhanced foundation on which a broad ecosystem of providers can build innovative health and wellness solutions such as personal health records, disease management, fitness, weight loss and other Web applications. HealthVault can be used to collect and store health information that would otherwise reside in disparate systems and transfer the information between a variety of providers' health services and systems. It enables the reuse and free flow of interoperable and transportable personal health information. For more information, visit www.HealthVault.com.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
About Mayo Clinic
For more than 100 years, millions of people from all walks of life have found answers at Mayo Clinic. These patients tell us they leave Mayo Clinic with peace of mind knowing they received care from the world's leading experts. Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group practice in the world. At Mayo Clinic, a team of specialists is assembled to take the time to listen, understand and care for patients' health issues and concerns. These teams draw from more than 3,700 physicians and scientists and 50,100 allied staff that work at Mayo Clinic's campuses in Minnesota, Florida, and Arizona; and community-based providers in more than 70 locations in southern Minnesota, western Wisconsin and northeast Iowa. These locations treat more than half a million people each year. To best serve patients, Mayo Clinic works with many insurance companies, does not require a physician referral in most cases and is an in-network provider for millions of people. To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. For information about research and education, visit www.mayo.edu. MayoClinic.com (www.mayoclinic.com) is available as a resource for your general health information.
SOURCE Mayo Clinic Health Manager