Table 2.
Health and health data storage, privacy, and access attitudes and opinions
| N | Responses (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Attitudes to data storage | |||
| Storing health information is useful for improving treatment quality a | 20464 | 75.5 | Agree or agree strongly |
| Storing health information is useful for preventing health epidemics b | 20361 | 63.9 | Agree or agree strongly |
| Lack of personal and health information leads to delays in treatment in health emergencies c | 20368 | 58.9 | Agree or agree strongly |
| Health providers collect too much personal information d | 20391 | 37.0 | Agree or agree strongly |
| Concerns about access to data | |||
| Access to personal information by non-medical personnel e | 20696 | 48.9 | Concerned or very concerned |
| Access to personal information by private companies e | 20676 | 60.6 | Concerned or very concerned |
| Misuse of personal information for harassment e | 20572 | 54.5 | Concerned or very concerned |
| Opinions about data security | |||
| Healthc are providers are successful in preventing unauthorized access f | 19372 | 38.4 | Agree or agree strongly |
| Computer databases should be protected from unauthorized access, regardless of cost g | 20134 | 73.4 | Agree or agree strongly |
a “A system which stores health information (such as your blood group, allergies, and health conditions) can be useful in providing higher-quality treatments” b “A system which stores health-related information (such as your blood group, allergies, and health conditions) can be useful in preventing health epidemics (eg, H1N1/swine flu)” c “I am concerned that in a health emergency there could be an unacceptable delay due to the time spent in identifying the person needing help and their health conditions before the treatment begins” d “I’m concerned that health care providers (such as hospitals and health insurance companies) are collecting too much personal information about me” (Note: this is a negatively worded question) e These 3 items combine to form the “Health care privacy index” f “Health care providers (such as hospitals and health insurance companies) are successful in preventing unauthorized access to personal information” g “Computer databases that contain health information (including health conditions, allergies, and identification) should be protected from unauthorized access no matter how much it costs”