Understanding Your Doctor Isn’t Always Easy — Or Your Fault
Oct. 28, 2021 — Nearly two-thirds of Americans are not confident that they understood their doctorâs recommendations and the health information they discussed with their doctor after a visit, according to a new survey.
Confusion over health information and doctor advice is even higher among people who care for patients than among those who donât provide care to their loved ones, the nationally representative survey from the AHIMA Foundation found.
The survey also shows that 80% of Americans — and an even higher portion of caregivers — are likely to research medical recommendations online after a doctorâs visit. But 1 in 4 people donât know how to access their own medical records or find it difficult to do so.
The findings reflect the same low level of health literacy in the U.S. population that earlier surveys did. The results also indicate that little has changed since the Department of Health and Human Services released a National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy in 2010.
That plan emphasized the need to develop and share accurate health information that helps people make decisions; to promote changes in the health care system that improve health information, communication, informed decision-making, and access to health services; and to increase the sharing and use of evidence-based health literacy practices.
According to the AHIMA Foundation report, 62% of Americans are not sure they understand their doctorâs advice and the health information discussed during a visit. Twenty-four percent say they donât comprehend any of it, and 31% canât remember what was said during the visit. Fifteen percent of those surveyed said they were more confused about their health than they were before the encounter with their doctor.
Caregivers Have Special Issues
Forty-three percent of Americans are caregivers, the report notes, and 91% of those play an active role in managing someone elseâs health. Millennials (65%) and Gen Xers (50%) are significantly more likely than Gen Zers (39%) and Boomers (20%) to be a caregiver.
Most caregivers have concerns about their loved onesâ ability to manage their own health. Most of them believe that doctors provide enough information, but 38% donât believe a doctor can communicate effectively with the patient if the caregiver is not present.
Forty-three percent of caretakers donât think their loved ones can understand medical information on their own. On the other hand, caregivers are more likely than people who donât provide care to say the doctor confused them and to research the doctorâs advice after an appointment.
For many patients and caregivers, communications break down when they are with their health care provider. Twenty-two percent of Americans say they do not feel comfortable asking their doctor certain health questions. This inability to have a satisfactory dialogue with their doctor means that many patients leave their appointments without getting clear answers to their questions (24%) or without having an opportunity to ask any questions at all (17%).
This is not surprising, considering that a 2018 study found that doctors spend only 11 seconds, on average, listening to patients before interrupting them.
Depending on the Internet
Overall, the AHIMA survey found, 42% of Americans research their doctorâs recommendations after an appointment. A higher percentage of caregivers than non-caregiver peers do so (47% vs. 38%). Eighty percent of respondents say they are âlikelyâ to research their doctorâs advice online after a visit.
When they have a medical problem or a question about their condition, just as many Americans (59%) turn to the internet for an answer as contact their doctor directly, the survey found. Twenty-nine percent of the respondents consult friends, family, or colleagues; 23% look up medical records if theyâre easily accessible; 19% ask pharmacists for advice; and 6% call an unspecified 800 number.
Americans feel secure in the health information they find on the internet. Among those who go online to look up information, 86% are confident that it is credible. And 42% report feeling relieved that they can find a lot of information about their health concerns. Respondents also say that the information they gather allows them to feel more confident in their doctorâs recommendations (35%) and that they feel better after having learned more on the internet than their doctor had told them (39%). Men are more likely than women to say that their confidence in their doctorâs recommendations increased after doing online research (40% vs. 30%).
Access to Health Records
Access to medical records would help people better understand their condition or diagnosis. But nearly half of Americans (48%) admit they donât usually review their medical records until long after an appointment, and 52% say they rarely access their records at all.
One in 4 Americans say that they donât know where to go to access their health information or that they didnât find the process easy. More than half of those who have never had to find their records think the process would be difficult if they had to try.
Eighty-one percent of Americans use an online platform or portal to access their medical records or health information. Two-thirds of Americans who use an online portal trust that their medical information is kept safe and not shared with other people or organizations.
Four in five respondents agree that if they had access to all of their health information, including medical records, recommendations, conditions, and test results, theyâd see an improvement in their health management. Fifty-nine percent of them believe theyâd also be more confident about understanding their health, and 47% say theyâd have greater trust in their doctorâs recommendations. Higher percentages of caregivers than non-caregivers say the same.
Younger people, those with a high school degree or less, and those who earn less than $50,000 are less likely than older, better educated, and more affluent people to understand their doctorâs health information and to ask questions of their providers.
People of color struggle with their relationships with doctors, are less satisfied than white people with the information they receive during visits, and are more likely than white peers to feel that if they had access to all their health information, theyâd manage their health better and be more confident in their doctorsâ recommendations, the survey found.