Most patients use the internet to research their health concerns after leaving their physician's appointment unsatisfied, according to an October report by the AHIMA Foundation, the charitable affiliate of the American Health Information Management Association.
Six study insights:
- Seventy-six percent of respondents said they don't leave their physician's office on a positive note. Respondents reported feeling disappointed by questions and answers exchanged, confused about their health and needing to do more research online.
- Eighty percent of respondents are likely to research their medical recommendations online after an appointment with their physician.
- Twenty-two percent of respondents said they don't feel comfortable asking their physician certain health questions.
- Four in 10 respondents reported being dissatisfied with the questions they could ask and the answers they received. Twenty-four percent of respondents said they didn't get clear answers to questions they asked their physician, while 17 percent said they didn't have the opportunity to ask any questions at all.
- Twenty-four percent of respondents don't understand the medical information their physician provides. Fifteen percent said they are more confused after a visit than they were before their visit.
- General divides have affected patients' ability to understand their office visit. Twenty-eight percent of Gen Zers reported feeling confused after physician appointments, followed by millennials (19 percent), Gen Xers (13 percent) and baby boomers (9 percent).