Individuals in different generational segments — whether they be Baby Boomers, Generation X or Millennials — carry varying levels of attitudes about physician-patient relationships and the overall healthcare system, a recent Vitals study found.
Vitals, a healthcare database company in Lyndhurst, N.J., classified "Baby Boomers" as people aged 55 to 70, "Gen X" as people between the ages of 35 and 54 and "Millennials" as individuals aged 18 to 34.
Here are four survey findings.
1. Eight-three percent of Baby Boomers surveyed have a primary care physician and want physicians' advice when deciding treatment options.
2. Sixty-four percent of respondents in the Gen X generation have a primary care physician, but one in four has lost trust in a physician or medical facility within the last two years.
3. Thirty-five percent of Millennials don't have a primary care physician. Additionally, one in four Millennials surveyed use an alternative care facility, like an urgent care center, when they are sick.
4. Seventy-seven percent of Baby Boomers trust physicians with personal information. Sixty-four percent of Gen X patients said they trust physicians with personal information, while 83 percent of Millennials said they do.