Around 96% of Britons do not have online access to their health records, and the inability of health professionals to share information is affecting patient care.
Previously, the UK government committed to giving everybody online access to GP records by 2015, but according to a research carried out by YouGov on behalf of Trustmarque Solutions, NHS England is far from achieving its target.
Around 39% of the respondents said that they had to provide the same medical information to general practitioners (GPs) on more than one occasion within a year’s time, and 28% said that they experienced delay in receiving care due to lack of information sharing.
Nearly 40% of adults did not know that they were able to make GP, hospital consultation or hospital test appointment online, but 54% were aware about the appointment procedure online.
Nearly 32% of adults said they received reminders of the appointment by text, 25% by phone and 22% received reminders in the post. However, 58% of respondents said they would prefer to receive reminders via text message.
Around 48% of the respondents said that they would support the NHS if it decides to provide ‘virtual consultations’ over video links.
Nearly 40% preferred consultation over the phone, and 49% claimed that they have used online healthcare information to identify and diagnose systems or suggest courses of action.
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The survey also showed that 76% of Britons wanted the NHS to offer or approve health apps, but only 10% of the respondents used a mobile health app to monitor their condition.
Trustmarque director Angelo Di Ventura said: "New technology innovations are placing existing NHS infrastructure under pressure, both in terms of IT systems and people.
"At the same time NHS-wide initiatives, such as the drive towards the ‘paperless’ NHS, are further adding to the load.
"It’s imperative that every penny spent in the NHS represents the best value possible, which means working with technology partners that can help deliver this value, while driving the organisational transformation that will underpin an improved patient experience."
