New AmerisourceBergen Index(R) Addresses How to Pay for New Technologies, Why
Patients Select a Hospital and Other Topics VALLEY FORGE, Pa., Dec. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Barcode scanning systems, which
scan medications and patient identification bracelets at hospital bedsides to
verify patients are receiving the correct medications, were the top choice for
preventing medication errors in the latest AmerisourceBergen Index(R) released
today.
Thirty-nine percent of respondents selected bar code scanning systems over
computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems that allow physicians to
enter prescriptions via handheld computers. CPOE was selected by one quarter
of those surveyed. Greater use of automated technologies to count pills and
check prescriptions before they are dispensed came in next at 15 percent.
Thirteen percent of respondents said all three of these methods were the best
way to reduce medication errors.
In another question, nearly three-quarters of respondents said government
should require hospitals to adopt new technologies if they have been proven to
reduce medication errors. These technologies also scored high in a question
about what would have the most impact on patient safety in hospitals.
Technologies that reduce the potential for human error by verifying and
checking medications almost tied with the top choice - hiring more doctors and
nurses. The other two options for impacting patient safety - higher salaries
for healthcare workers and increasing government regulation - lagged far
behind.
Gender, Geographical and Age Differences
As one might expect in a survey about health systems technologies there
were age, geographical and gender differences. Younger respondents and men
tended to favor new technologies without cost concerns and were more solidly
in favor of communicating with physicians via e-mail for instance, while older
respondents and women tended to prefer personal interaction over technologies
and electronic communication.
Health Information and the Internet
Obtaining health information via the Internet was another topic covered in
the survey. Just under one third of respondents said they used the Internet
to obtain more information after receiving a diagnosis or medication from a
physician.
What about e-mailing physicians for information? Slightly more than half
of all respondents said they would like to communicate with their physicians
via e-mail, with men, 18-to-54-year-olds, West Coast residents and city
dwellers expressing the most interest. Somewhat smaller numbers said they did
not wish to contact their physicians via e-mail -- especially those 55 and
older, residents of rural areas and people in the North Central and Southern
United States. Only a very small number said they already communicated with
their physicians via e-mail.
When asked to rate the quality of the health information on the web,
nearly one third described it as accurate and helpful, while 15 percent said
it was easy to understand. Far fewer described the information in a negative
way - as difficult to understand or not accurate enough. However, more than
one quarter said they did not obtain health information on the Internet. Once
again, use of the Internet and perceptions of its value as a health resource
varied greatly depending upon the age of the respondents.
Another question that elicited a strong response was about electronic
medical records. Sixty-two percent said medical records should be electronic
with paper backup. Here, too, 25-to-34-year-old respondents were even more
enthusiastic about this.
Hospital Selection Criteria
Why do people choose a particular hospital? The reputation of its
physicians came in first among all respondents, at 29 percent. This was even
more important to people in the Northeastern United States and
18-to-24-year-olds, who chose this in far greater numbers. Accepting an
insurance plan came in second, at 24 percent for all respondents and
32 percent in the North Central region. This was followed by a strong patient
safety record (15 percent), clean, hygienic facility (12 percent), and
nonprofit status (3 percent). Sixteen percent said all these factors played a
role in determining their choice of a particular hospital.
Lastly, in ranking the top health issues that hospitals should focus on in
2004 cancer led the list, followed by diabetes, heart disease, obesity and
AIDS. Diabetes was of much greater concern to adults 55-to-64 than among the
general population and AIDS was more important to 18-to-34-year-olds.
Bioterrorism and SARS were ranked last, with only 5 percent and 1 percent,
respectively, selecting these as top health issues.
Survey Methodology
The AmerisourceBergen Index(R) is a survey of trends, purchasing behaviors
and opinions about pharmacists and their customers. The current survey of
1020 adults was conducted by telephone from November 28-30, 2003 by Opinion
Research Corporation on behalf of AmerisourceBergen, the largest
pharmaceutical services company in the United States dedicated solely to the
pharmaceutical supply channel. The margin of error is plus or minus three
percent.
About AmerisourceBergen
AmerisourceBergen (NYSE: ABC) is the largest pharmaceutical services
company in the United States dedicated solely to the pharmaceutical supply
chain. It is the leading distributor of pharmaceutical products and services
to the hospital systems/acute care market, physician's offices, alternate care
and mail order facilities, independent community pharmacies, and regional
chain pharmacies. The Company is also a leader in the long term care pharmacy
and workers' compensation fulfillment marketplaces. With more than
$40 billion in annualized operating revenue, AmerisourceBergen is
headquartered in Valley Forge, PA, and employs more than 13,000 people.
AmerisourceBergen is ranked #24 on the Fortune 500 list and was ranked #6 in
the 2003 Business Week 50, a list of the 50 best performing companies in the
S&P 500. For more information, go to www.amerisourcebergen.com.
(C) Copyright 2003 AmerisourceBergen Corporation.
SOURCE AmerisourceBergen
CONTACT: Barbara Brungess of AmerisourceBergen, +1-610-727-7199 or
bbrungess@amerisourcebergen.com; or Iris Raylesberg of Kapnek
Communications,
+1-215-830-9890 or iris@kapnek.com, for AmerisourceBergen
Web site: http://www.amerisourcebergen.com