The role of health care experience and consumer information efficacy in shaping privacy and security perceptions of medical records: national consumer survey results.

This is a review of Patel, Beckjord, Moser, Hughes, and Hesse’s 2015 article, The Role of Health Care Experience and Consumer Information Efficacy in Shaping Privacy and Security Perceptions of Medical Records: National Consumer Survey Results

Background

The evolution of both technology and policy to address privacy and security needs is critical, as providers’ use of EHRs has grown rapidly since HITECH. As EHRs become the norm, a majority of patients’ medical records will become digitized, enabling providers to share health information electronically with other providers to better coordinate care.

Using data from a nationally representative survey of adults conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in 2011-2012, the authors sought to answer the following questions:

• How confident are adults in the privacy and security of their medical records? What technology-related care experience and patient engagement–related factors are associated with consumer confidence in privacy and security?
• What proportions of adults have withheld information from their provider due to privacy or security concerns? What technology-related care experience and information efficacy–related factors are associated with withholding information?
• What are adults’ levels of concern regarding sending health medical information from one provider to another? Does this vary by whether it is sent by fax or electronically, and what differentiates adults who express concerns about these different modes of sharing electronic health information?