Patients Speak Out On the State of Healthcare: New Patient Pulse survey finds patients eager to play a larger role in their care, with those who do citing a better healthcare experience

• 85% of patients feel better about their healthcare experience when they have transparency and greater access to medical imaging records
  
  
• More than 70% of patients are actively researching their specific health condition(s), while 83% of those that do research feel more empowered
  
  
• One-third (33%) of patients have received incorrect test results or a medical report error, while almost half (46%) claim to have experienced a misdiagnosis.
  
  
• More than half (52%) of respondents had difficulty accessing and sharing medical imaging records with their healthcare team

TORONTO, July 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - After feeling powerless for much of the pandemic, patients want to play an active role in their healthcare and the health journeys of their loved ones, according to a new survey of 242 patients across the U.S. and Canada. Findings also revealed opportunities to develop stronger relationships between patients and their healthcare providers.

The new Patient Pulse survey was conducted by PocketHealth, a healthcare technology platform that enables more than 720,000 patients across the US and Canada to permanently own, access and share their medical imaging and health records. The survey was developed to gain insights into the growing trend of patients seeking more information beyond what their doctors provide. and found that 71% of patients cited they actively researched their own healthcare conditions, while 83% of those that do research feel more empowered by the process.

Findings also revealed that 85% of patients feel better about their overall healthcare experience when they have transparency and greater access to medical imaging records.

"The demand for transparency in the healthcare system is evident as patients are hungry for the tools and information that give them more control of their health – a trend accelerated by the pandemic," said Rishi Nayyar, Co-Founder and CEO, PocketHealth. "By placing patients at the center of their healthcare journey, providers are able to strengthen the partnership between physicians and patients leading to better outcomes."

Patients also voiced concerns about falling through the cracks of an overburdened medical system. The study found that 33% of patients said they or someone they knew had received incorrect test results or noticed an error on a medical report, while 46% of respondents had been misdiagnosed or knew someone who had experienced a misdiagnosis. Patients who have watched others experience a misdiagnosis either personally or second hand are likely determined to avoid the same fate by embracing technologies and information sources that give them greater control over their health.

"Patients need access to their information, or they will find ways to obtain it on their own," added Nayyar. "As access to Electronic Health Records (EHRs) improves, healthcare providers benefit from patients who are educated about their own care, resulting in better doctor-patient relationships."

Placing patients at the center of their own healthcare journey will help providers in the long-run as the more informed, confident and empowered patients are, the less strain there is on providers and healthcare workers in general.

Survey responses were collected recently by PocketHealth from 242 patients across Canada. For the full report, please visit this link.

PocketHealth is the world's first patient-centric image sharing platform. With PocketHealth, patients can instantly access, share and take ownership over their own medical imaging and records - anytime, anywhere, and with anyone. PocketHealth also enables direct sharing between hospitals and physicians, as well as instant DICOM retrieval and automated importing capability, creating a unified image management solution for more than 600 hospitals and imaging clinics across North America. PocketHealth believes that by placing patients at the center of their care journey, records move more ethically, easily and securely throughout the healthcare system. Learn more at pockethealth.com

SOURCE PocketHealth Inc.