Two New Surveys Suggest Patients Desire Education, Connection

Sarasota, FL (WorkersCompensation.com) – According to a new survey from Wolters Kluwer Health, most patients leave a physician’s office and realize they have forgotten to ask certain questions about their healthcare. 

Wolters Kluwer Health contracted global market research firm CITE Research to conduct a poll of adults who had seen a physician within the last year. The survey was conducted in November of last year, and included 1,034 individuals in the U.S.

The survey found that 80 percent of patients have follow up questions after an encounter with a provider. Sixty-six percent of patients stated they had questions that they forgot to ask, and 19 percent stated they had new questions following the appointment. A total of 63 percent of those surveyed stated they do receive educational materials about their health from their physician, however 32 percent stated they did not receive information. 

The survey also noted that when patients do not have easy access to provider’s educational materials, they set out on their own gathering information from unvetted sources on the internet. Almost all of those surveyed at 94 percent stated they would review educational information if it was provided. A total of 95 percent stated they wanted easy access to their provider’s educational materials. Additionally, of those that received educational materials, 80 percent were happier with their providers, and 68 percent stated they were more likely to return to that provider. 

In a separate global survey from management consulting and technology firm ZS, patients are half as likely to feel cared for than most physicians believe. While providers believe they genuinely care about their patients, the patients are experiencing the same sentiment. This was true for not only the U.S., but other countries including the U.K., Sweden, Germany, China, and Japan. 

Because of the lack of connection with their providers, 70 percent of patients in Germany and the U.K. stated they do not have regular health screenings even though they are available to them. Additionally, one-fourth of patients in the U.S. as well as Japan and China avoid seeking out medical care because of the hassle. The same was true for one-third of the patients in U.K., Germany, and Sweden. In five of the six countries that were surveyed, more than half of the patients polled stated they only see a provider when they are sick. 

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