WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC) will today unveil findings from a national survey measuring public awareness and attitudes about personalized medicine. The survey found that Americans recognize the many potential benefits of personalized medicine, including choosing a treatment that is most likely to work for them and the potential to prevent illness.
The survey launch is particularly timely as the United States House of Representative’s Energy and Commerce Committee will host a 21st Century Cures Roundtable on July 23 to discuss how personalized medicine and advances in science and technology can help shape the healthcare system in the 21st century.
Although many healthcare experts recognize the value of this innovative approach to care, the findings show the general public does not fully understand this method of treatment and care. To gauge public awareness, knowledge and attitudes about personalized medicine, PMC commissioned this survey with KRC Research in March 2014.
Findings indicate that general public understanding of this emerging field is low but interest is high:
- Two-thirds (62%) have not heard of personalized medicine but the majority (65%) react positively when it is described to them and 7 in 10 (69%) are interested in learning more.
- Most feel excited about the potential benefits of personalized medicine and recognize the value. Over 7 in 10 say that major benefits are that the information gained could help them and their doctors choose a treatment that is most likely to be effective for them (76%) and give them more control to prevent or treat illness (72%).
- Nearly 8 in 10 would have a diagnostic test for the purposes of personalizing prevention or treatment if their doctor recommended it.
- Two-thirds (63%) immediately see the value of these emerging technologies and believe that personalized tests and treatments should be covered by insurance.
“Personalized medicine has tremendous potential to change the way we think about, identify and manage healthcare,” said Edward Abrahams, president of PMC. “As part of our nation’s effort to increase quality and value, we must continue to encourage development and adoption of personalized medicine to help improve patient care and resolve embedded inefficiencies, such as trial-and-error dosing, hospitalizations due to adverse drug reactions, late diagnoses and reactive treatment.”
Personalized medicine involves the tailoring of medical treatment to the individual characteristics of each patient, increasing the ability to predict which medical treatments will be safe and effective for each patient. In a time of unprecedented scientific breakthroughs and technological advancements, personalized healthcare has the capacity to detect the onset of disease at its earliest stages, pre-empt progression and increase efficiency by improving healthcare quality, accessibility and affordability.
“Personalized medicine has generated a lot of excitement in the medical community. But our survey shows that there is a lag in public awareness,” said Mark David Richards, Senior Vice President at KRC Research who conducted the nationally representative survey. “When people learn about personalized medicine, they quickly see the benefits—and they want insurance to cover these technologies. In fact, we found one of the biggest fears people have is the possibility that they might not have access if they need it.”
To view a summary of the survey results, click here.
About the Personalized Medicine Coalition:
The Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC), representing innovators, scientists, patients, providers and payers, promotes the understanding and adoption of personalized medicine concepts, services and products to benefit patients and the health system. For more information about PMC, visit www.PersonalizedMedicineCoalition.org.
About KRC Research and the Survey
KRC Research is a global public opinion research firm. KRC conducted a nationally representative telephone survey (landline and mobile phone) of 1,024 American adults age 18 and older to gauge public awareness, knowledge and attitudes about personalized medicine. Interviews were conducted in English and the margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 3 percentage points.
