Nearly three-quarters of physicians agree that self-tracking leads to better patient outcomes, according to a new report from healthcare market research and advisory firm Manhattan Research.
In 2013, 70 percent of physicians report that at least one of their patients is sharing health measurement data with them. The methods patients use to share their health measurements with healthcare professionals remain primarily low-tech, however. The most common forms used by patients are handwriting the data or giving the physician a printout of their information. This year’s study, titled “Taking the Pulse U.S,” surveyed 2,950 U.S. practicing physicians online in the first quarter of 2013 across more than 25 specialties.
“Self-tracking is already a part of the care paradigm and its prevalence is going to accelerate rapidly as digital connection, payment reform, and outcome-focused delivery make advances,” James Avallone, director of physician research at Manhattan Research, said in a statement. “We are seeing physician attitudes toward self-tracking aligning with policy, which is encouraging for all stakeholders involved.”
