In 2012, 77 percent of individuals indicated being “very or somewhat” concerned with the privacy or medical records, and 72 percent indicated being “very or somewhat” concerned with the security of medical records. In two years, those percentages fell to 58 percent and 52 percent, respectively.
Additionally, the number of individuals who said they withhold information from healthcare providers due to privacy or security concerns slightly fell from 7 percent in 2012 to 5 percent in 2014.
Looking at the flip side, an increasing percentage of individuals indicate zero concern for the privacy and security of their medical records. From 2012 to 2014, the percentage of those who were “not concerned at all” with the privacy of their medical records grew from 12 percent to 23 percent. During the same time period, the percentage of those who were “not concerned at all” with the security of their medical records also increased from 9 percent to 19 percent.
What’s more, patients are more supportive of their healthcare providers’ use of EHRs despite any privacy and security concerns, with 75 percent indicating this to be the case in 2012 and 78 percent in 2014.
The ONC data brief does note these surveys were completed before several large healthcare breaches in 2015, and the affect those breaches have on patient perception warrants analysis.
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