Morpace Reports: Many Likely To Create Own Online Personal Medical Record

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Morpace Reports: Many Likely To Create Own Online Personal Medical

Record

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/132405.php

Some people are not waiting for the Federal government's potential

system of electronic medical records and are taking matters into

their own hands, according to a new national Morpace survey.

Twenty-seven percent of American adults now say they are " extremely

likely or somewhat likely " to create an online personal health record

(PHR) to help track their medical history and medications. " This

movement is being driven by the availability of new technology as

well as by people's desire to take control of their own health care

and have manageable access to their medical information, " said

Semack, Vice President of the Morpace Health Care Practice.

Recently Internet giants Google and Microsoft, along with traditional

online health service companies such as WebMD and Revolution Health,

have begun offering online personal health record services at no

charge. " As awareness of these kinds of services builds, " Semack

said, " many people will be open to using them. "

The likelihood of subscribing to these new online services does not

vary by age -- Americans aged 55 and up are as likely to create an

online PHR as younger Americans. " Older Americans recognize the value

of centralizing a long history of medical information and many are

not intimidated by using the Internet to create a PHR, " added Semack.

Meanwhile, awareness of the Federal government initiative to create a

nationwide system of electronic medical records by 2014 is edging up.

Currently, 56 percent report they are familiar with this initiative

compared to 50 percent two months ago.

Morpace Omnibus Study interviews were completed with 1,015 consumers

selected from an Internet panel of adults aged 18 and over. The

sample's demographic profile is reflective of the U.S. population.