88 per cent of Canadians are looking for
online health information with Canadian references, yet 72
per cent concerned about reliability*
Montreal, QC - TELUS is making access to
reliable, verified Canadian healthcare information online a
snap with myhealthreference.com. myhealthreference.com, a
new health reference internet portal, is designed to help
Canadians find the relevant information and tools they need
to take better care of their health and the health of their
loved ones.
A recent national poll by Vision Critical found 72
per cent of Canadians are concerned with the reliability of
healthcare information they find online, yet 53 per cent
still use the Internet as their primary health information
reference.
"Technology has empowered us with convenient,
fast access to health information. Yet much of
the online information is unverified.
myhealthreference.com will allow Canadians to quickly find
credible, reliable and expert-reviewed health information
for themselves and their families," said Paul Lepage,
senior vice-president, TELUS Health Solutions.
With 66 per cent of Canadians seeking a single point
for online health information, the new site will deliver
current content, reviewed articles and specialized
functions to make the consumer experience "future
friendly".
The new site includes access to:
-
Web and mobile tools such as a symptom checker,
self-assessment modules, healthy habits guides and
smoking cessation programs
-
Powerful search feature that "learns" from user
trends and health news to deliver relevant, credible
content to returning visitors
-
Reliable reference content and news from trusted
Canadian sources covering health topics from A to
Z
-
Advice from physicians, pharmacists, naturopaths
and nutritionists, as well as information to find
specialized local resources
The Vision Critical survey also reveals:
-
90 per cent of women identified themselves
as the primary health seekers in the family
-
70 per cent of mothers first look to the Internet
to gather health advice for their children
-
94 per cent of mothers prefer a website with
information from a Canadian reference
-
66 per cent of Canadians have used online health
information for positive results
-
25 per cent of Quebecers do not have a family
physician. The highest rate from all provinces surveyed
(17% BC, 14% AB, 8% MB/SK, 10% ON, 13% ATL)
-
33 per cent of Canadians over 55 say it's difficult
to find dietary tips for specific chronic health
conditions
.
*The Vision Critical poll of 1,500
Canadians was conducted from December 19 to December 22,
2011.
About TELUS Health Solutions
TELUS Health Solutions is a leader in telehealth,
electronic health records, remote patient monitoring,
mobile home and community care, consumer health, benefits
management and pharmacy management. Our solutions give
health authorities, providers, primary care physicians,
patients and consumers the power to enhance decision making
and improve outcomes for Canadians. TELUS Health Solutions
is transforming how information is used across the
continuum of care from hospital to home with solutions that
foster collaboration, drive prevention and empower care
teams and patients. TELUS Health Solutions is Canada's
leading Healthcare IT Company as cited by the Branham Group
for five years and for being honoured as the ITAC Health
Company of the Year (2008) and Health Transformation
Company of the Year (2009). For more information about
TELUS Health Solutions, please visit .
About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national
telecommunications company in Canada, with $10.3 billion of
annual revenue and 12.6 million customer connections
including 7.2 million wireless subscribers, 3.6 million
wireline network access lines, 1.3 million Internet
subscribers and more than 450,000 TELUS TV customers. Led
since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS
provides a wide range of communications products and
services including data, Internet protocol (IP), voice,
entertainment and video.
In support of our philosophy to give where we live,
TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed $245
million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and
volunteered 4.1 million hours of service to local
communities since 2000. Eleven TELUS Community Boards
across Canada lead TELUS' local philanthropic initiatives.
TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding
philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the
Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the
first Canadian company to receive this prestigious
international recognition.
.
Survey Methodology
From December 19 to December 22, 2011, Vision
Critical conducted an online survey among a randomly
selected, representative sample of 1,500 Canadians who are
Vision Critical Forum panel members. Individuals were
sampled according to Census data to be representative of
the Canadian national adult population. The full dataset
has been statistically weighted according to the most
current gender, age, region (and in Quebec, language)
Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire
adult population of Canada. The margin of error is ±2.7 per
cent, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between
totals are due to rounding.
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For more information, please contact:
Emma Miller
TELUS Media Relations
647-464-6817
Emma.Miller@telus.com
René Samulewitsch
High Road Communications
416-644-2287
Rene.samulewitsch@highroad.com
