Information Needs and Information Sources in Search of a Hospital

In search of an answer to the question: How do I find a suitable hospital for me, my relatives or my patients? citizens, patients and referring doctors have a vast need of information. In order to supply the appropriate information offer for this information demand, the needs have to be determined. Considering the approximately 9 million insurants in Germany who, in the last 6 months, stayed in a hospital or plan such a stay in the near future, the information demand on the quality of a hospital is considerable and the development of new information markets is understandable. Moreover, the legislator does encourage, among others, the social health insurance funds to inform their insurants about hospitals and to give recommendations (comp. 137 SGB V). In the context of the regular telephone survey of more than 2000 insurants of the BARMER social health insurance fund, late in 2005 the information sources, their importance, criteria for the choice of a suitable hospital and the preferred form of an information medium on hospitals were questioned. On an average, insurants use more than 3 sources of information, younger insurants more than older ones. Dependent on age, educational background and state of health they prefer different sources. As expected, the family doctor (93%) is used most frequently as an information source and his recommendation is also attributed the highest importance (60%). The second place of utilization is occupied by newspapers, journals and the internet (70%). On the ranking list of importance, however, the internet, with 8%, lies on the third place, far behind the doctor and friends and relatives (39%). The top of the selection criteria holds the good reputation (62% very important) followed by the good cooperation between hospital and resident doctor (57%) and the case volume (55%). Good hotel and service offers (24%) and the existence of hospital certificates (20%) mark the lower end of the very important selection criteria. Two thirds of the insurants would prefer a printed hospital guide. 40% of the under 56 years of age, in comparison to 19% of the over 56 years of age, favour, however, an internet guide. Men prefer it twice as often as women.