Consumer Health Informatics

Technology has increased the amount of health information available to the public, allowing consumers to become better educated and more involved in their own health care. Government and private health care organizations rely on a variety of technologies to disseminate health information on preventive care, illness and injury management, treatment options, post-treatment care, and other topics. This report discusses consumer health informatics--the use of computers and telecommunications to help consumers obtain information, analyze their health care needs, and make decisions about their own health. GAO provides information on (1) the demand for health information and the expanding capabilities of technology; (2) users' and developers' views on potential systems advantages and issues surrounding systems development and use; (3) government involvement--federal, state, and local--in developing these technologies; and (4) the status of related efforts by the Department of Health and Human Services. As part of this review, GAO surveyed consumer health informatics experts and presents their views on issues that need to be addressed when developing consumer health information systems. GAO summarized this report in testimony before Congress; see: Consumer Health Informatics: Emerging Issues, by Patricia T. Taylor, Director of Information Resources Management Issues, before the Subcommittee on Human Services and Intergovernmental Relations, House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. GAO/T-AIMD-96-134, July 26 (13 pages).

GAO found that: (1) increasing consumer demand for more detailed health information has driven the expansion of better health information systems; (2) studies on consumer health informatics show that these systems can respond quickly and efficiently to consumers' information needs, provide customized information, and reduce health care costs by limiting unnecessary medical services; (3) the systems' technologies, sponsors, and costs vary widely; (4) developers and users believe that consumer health systems provide additional benefits, such as anonymity, outreach, convenience, scope, and emotional support; (5) issues that need to be addressed to ensure effective and efficient system development, maintenance, and use include access, cost, information quality, security, privacy, computer literacy, and information overload; (6) options to address these issues include encouraging public- and private-sector partnerships and more research, involving interdisciplinary teams of professionals in systems development, and using sound systems development practices; (7) the federal government disseminates huge amounts of health care data through various means and supports systems development efforts; (8) states and local governments also support informatics projects and provide online health information to the public; (9) total government costs are unknown because there is no comprehensive inventory of informatics projects; and (10) HHS has outlined future steps to enhance health information for consumers and promote federal agency collaboration.