Poll: Patients most in need of mobile health are least interested

A week ago, we brought you the news, courtesy of sister publication FierceWireless, about a Harris Interactive poll that found that more than two-thirds of American consumers are intrigued by the idea of home care enabled by mobile technology, and that 40 percent would be interested in supplementing their regular physician care with mobile healthcare. After running that story in out Spotlight section, we heard from a publicist from consumer-focused health management firm Insignia Health, which partnered with Harris and wireless industry group CTIA on the survey. Part of the survey incorporated questions from Insignia's Patient Activation Measure tool that's supposed to indicate how involved people are in their own health and healthcare, and it seems as if those most in need of mobile health tools are the least likely to be interested in such technologies.

According to the survey, people in the lowest two groups of the four categories of activation are significantly less familiar with mobile health technologies or even aware of the concept. Those considered "high-activated" consumers were 30 percent more likely to be interested in mobile healthcare. Amazingly, only 11 percent "low-activated" physicians that Insignia questioned had much familiarity with mobile health technologies. Even "high-activated" doctors only had 33 percent familiarity with mobile health, making us wonder if what physicians are doing with all the iPhones and BlackBerrys they seem to be purchasing.

For more information:
- see this Insignia Health press release

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