We hear it all the time: “People don’t want to own their own health data.” By and large, most healthcare experts dismiss the notion that patients and caregivers feel a need to own their health data. They claim that it’s too difficult and most would just as rather leave it in the hands of “the experts.”
Evidence is mounting, though, that is calling this widely held belief into question. Patientory recently conducted a survey on this question, and the results are not surprising:
How important is it to you to own your personal health info (PHI)?
- 62% said it was extremely important
- 23% said it was very important
- 8% said it was moderately important
- 3% said it was slightly important
- 4% said it was not at all important
Although this is not a scientific poll, it does confirm what Accenture also found in a study of their own earlier this year: 68% of patients want to help keep their health data secure.
In an age of Fitbits, Apple Watches, and other health trackers, health consumers are increasingly putting to rest this outdated notion that individuals don’t want to own their own personal health data. It’s long past time that healthcare organizations give it to them. At Patientory, we’re putting personal health data into the hands of individuals and securing it with blockchain technology. Far from feeling overwhelmed, patients and consumers are increasingly demanding it.