More Hospital Protocols, Yet, Less Confidence in WHO, World Government Precautions
BOSTON, MA July 21, 2016—US OB/GYNs concerns about the Zika virus continue to be on the rise, with more adoption of hospital protocols and automatic testing for at-risk women throughout the country. However, confidence in precautions taken by the WHO and world governments on the virus is significantly lower than in April. Data are from the results of the third tracking survey of Zika virus perceptions performed by InCrowd, a provider of real-time market intelligence to life sciences and healthcare firms, and represent a continuing barometer of this global health issue.
See InCrowd’s “Tracking Zika” Webinar from April 2016 for more details on findings from Waves 1 in February and Wave 2 in April.
“We’re seeing statistically significant increases in OB/GYNs’ reports about their patients being very concerned about the Zika virus, along with a rise in physicians’ own concerns,” said Diane Hayes, Ph.D., president and co-founder of InCrowd and an epidemiologist by training. “What’s more, the concern is not simply in the high-risk states, but everywhere. As the US watches the toll that the Zika virus is taking around the world, InCrowd will continue to monitor this public health concern.”
The key findings from US OB/GYNs include:
- 93% of OB/GYNs continue to advise patients to not travel to specific countries, and discuss recent and upcoming travel in general with patients; 59% say they pay extra attention to sonograms of women who have recently traveled.
- The proportion of OB/GYNs who say they automatically test for Zika if the patient has traveled to infected areas also continues to rise, from 34% in February, 40% in April, and 44% in June.
- 52% of OB/GYNs in low-risk states—the majority of the US outside the eight-state area where the Zika-causing mosquitos are prevalent[1]—report that patients are very concerned about Zika, significantly more than the 33% noted earlier this year in April.
- High-risk state OB/GYNs have reported considerable increases in the use of both protocols and automatic testing, though interestingly they remain less likely to use either, compared to their low-risk state counterparts.
- Nearly half of healthcare professionals now say their hospital or clinic has recommended protocols in place for patients potentially infected with Zika, up significantly from April 2016 when only one third had protocols in place.
- Only 31% of OB/GYNs surveyed said they believe the WHO is taking strong enough precautions, a significant drop from 47% in Wave 3 from February. Confidence in the US government has dropped as well, from 30% in February to 24% in June.
Key findings from pregnant and planning to become pregnant women include:
- Four out of ten pregnant or trying to become pregnant women report that they actively seek out news regarding the Zika virus in order to stay up to date on the topic.
- Precautionary behavior is up, with three of four patient respondents reporting that they are now wearing insect repellant when outdoors.
- However, just under one-quarter of patient respondents in the June survey said they have spoken with a healthcare professional about the Zika virus. This represents an 18% increase since the February survey, and yet still leaves three-quarters of respondents who are not seeking out a healthcare professional on the Zika virus.
- As in previous surveys, a community of at-risk women remains uninformed, with one out of five pregnant or would-be pregnant respondents saying they have not heard any news regarding Zika.
Wave 3 of Zika virus perception tracking survey used InCrowd’s 7-minute MicroSurvey platform to assess the responses of 100 qualified US-based OB/GYNs who each have 20 or more pregnant patients under their care monthly. Responses were fielded in a several-hour period between June 7-10, 2016. The tracking survey also included 200 US Women ages 18-45, who are currently pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant in the next 12 months. Those responses were fielded June 11-12, 2016.
For more information regarding InCrowd’s research, please contact InCrowd.
[1] Zika virus high-risk states are based on the presence of Aedes albopictus & Aedes aegypti mosquitos and include FL, GA, AL, MS, LA, TX, NM, SC
About InCrowd
InCrowd provides a mobile MicroSurvey methodology and analytics engine that enables clients to reach targeted specialists and stakeholders easily among our extensive and diverse “Crowd” of healthcare professionals. These experts are available on-demand throughout the United States and around the globe, through the InCrowd platform, which is offered in 20 different languages. The brevity, speed, and simplicity of InCrowd’s approach has fundamentally changed the industry by providing quality data in situations where it was previously impossible to get timely market information. Nineteen of the top 20 pharmaceutical firms have relied upon InCrowd’s robust quality processes and verified experts to make fast, validated business decisions. For more information, visit www.incrowdnow.com.
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