CaringBridge Survey Finds Correlation Between Social Connection and Health Recovery

Patients Perceive Health Benefits, Better Care When Using CaringBridge

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Eagan, Minn. (Mar. 23, 2011) —

A September 2010 commissioned survey conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of CaringBridge revealed an astonishing perception among patients who use CaringBridge, a nonprofit organization providing free websites that connect people experiencing a significant health challenge to their family and friends. More than 4,000 people were surveyed about the impact CaringBridge made in their lives. The conclusion? Ninety-one percent of respondents facing a health challenge such as cancer, premature birth or serious injury said that using CaringBridge to stay connected by sharing health updates with family and friends helped make their individual health journey easier, while 88 percent said using CaringBridge positively impacted their healing process.

Ninety-nine percent of patients who use CaringBridge point to reading guestbook entries from family and friends as positively impacting their health journey, with 91 percent reporting a positive impact from sharing posts and updates in their journal. Nearly all individuals surveyed who use CaringBridge say that it is an easy way to update family and friends (98 percent), centralizes and eases the communication burden (98 percent), saves time and emotional energy (96 percent) and enables love, compassion and hope (95 percent).

Patients' perceptions of CaringBridge may have an application for doctors, nurses and healthcare executives as well — 93 percent of all CaringBridge users rated the quality of their medical care as "good" or "excellent," a statistic nearly any hospital or health system would welcome.

"Our mission is to amplify the love, hope and compassion in the world and make each health journey easier," said Sona Mehring, founder and CEO of CaringBridge. "And to hear from patients and caregivers that the help we provide has an effect on the healing process is an incredibly powerful benefit."

Since its inception in 1997, more than 250,000 families have created a CaringBridge website, and nearly 1.8 billion visits have been made to personal CaringBridge websites. On average, half a million people connect through the site each day.

CaringBridge recently published a white paper titled "Making a Real Impact: The CaringBridge Phenomenon" describing the results of this research and the impact of staying connected during a health crisis. To download or read the white paper, click here.

About CaringBridge

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CaringBridge is a nonprofit offering many ways for people to care for each other during any type of health event. Its mission is to amplify the love, hope and compassion in the world, making each health journey easier. For more information, visit www.CaringBridge.org.