What Do the Own Your Health Survey Results Reveal?

King County is teaming with the nonprofit Puget Sound Health Alliance to present Own Your Health, a campaign to empower consumers to become active participants in their own health and health care.

More than 1,850 King County employees completed the Own Your Health survey. That’s an amazing number and we thank you all. Here, we’ll reveal some of the results. As we continue Own Your Health, we’ll share and explore more results as they relate to our upcoming health topics.

We asked “Do you currently have a primary care doctor (a general or family practitioner who provides preventive care and can coordinate other care you may need?” Here’s how you answered.

• Yes: 93%
• No: 6%
• Don’t Know / Not Sure: 1%

93% means a solid majority of you recognize the value of having a primary care doctor.  You may know that research shows that people who have an ongoing relationship with a primary care doctor have better overall health outcomes than those people without a primary care doctor.  Research also shows that those with a primary care doctor save money in the long run. One reason for that savings is the primary care doctor’s focus on prevention. Also by having a primary care doctor, you’re never on your own with your health care.

For the 6 or 7% of you without a primary care doctor, we encourage you to visit the Your Primary Care Doctor page on the Own Your Health website and check out our handy guides “How to Find the Right Primary Care Doctor for You” and “Your Primary Care Doctor Is Your Partner in Health.” Together, they will give you information you can act on.

That page also includes more resources, plus our new feature called “In Your Words” with personal stories from King County employees about their experiences with primary care doctors and more.

Remember, it’s best to find a primary care doctor when you are at your healthiest, so you can focus on the search, find the right match and take best advantage of preventive care. And if you’re not feeling healthy right now, that’s also a big reason to find a primary care doctor to help you.

If you don’t know if you have a primary care doctor, call your health insurance provider to find out or call the last doctor you saw to find out if he or she is your primary care doctor. If you’re not sure, that could mean it’s been awhile so you may be due for a general physical exam that can include checking your blood pressure, reflexes, heartbeat, breathing and more. You also may be due for important tests and vaccinations.

We also asked if you feel you have a “strong relationship with a primary care doctor.”

• Strongly Agree: 35%
• Agree: 27%
• Neutral: 21%
• Disagree: 10%
• Strongly Disagree: 7%

We know that 93% of respondents have a primary care doctor. So what stands out here is that about 34% of those who have a primary care doctor don’t feel they have a strong relationship with that doctor. More than 600 of you who completed the survey feel that way.

So how do you build that strong relationship? That’s an issue we’ll continue to explore. What can help is finding and regularly visiting a primary care doctor you trust, and openly and honestly communicating your health concerns and needs so your doctor can best help you. To learn more about how to strengthen this relationship, attend the Own Your Health lunch and learn with Dr. Wellesley Chapman or view the video of the presentation after it has been posted.

If you have a strong relationship with your primary care doctor, you can share your story on how you built that relationship. Simply go to the Get Involved page of the Own Your Health website for details.

These are our thoughts about those survey results. We encourage you to share your own thoughts with your coworkers, family and friends.

And if you didn’t have time to fill out the survey, you’re still welcome to do so at http://bit.ly/ownyourhealthsurvey.