A large percentage of Americans want access to health services from their smartphone, but more want it through their laptop or desktop, according to a recently published survey conducted by Harris Interactive and HealthDay. This survey included responses from 2,050 adults who answered the questions online.

The survey asked how interested the respondents were in communicating with healthcare providers or obtaining diagnostic tests through a smartphone or tablet and what type of device patients prefer when communicating with a healthcare professional. The survey also asked how confident adults felt about the privacy of medical information when shared online.

Some 43 percent of respondents were interested in asking doctors questions, another 45 percent were interested in booking appointments, while 42 percent were interested in checking the effects and side effects of a medicine. While the percentage differences between the age groups didn't vary much, people over the age of 65 were less interested than other age groups. Of the healthcare services listed, the patients were least interested in getting reminders to participate in programs for exercise, diet, weight loss and other wellness programs.

When asked about diagnostic tests, respondents with a smartphone or tablet were most interested in getting their blood pressure (44 percent) and heartbeat checked for irregularities (42 percent) via their mobile device.

Even for respondents with a mobile device, their response when asked which device they preferred 39 percent were interested in using a laptop or desktop, in contrast to 33 percent who wanted a smartphone and 23 percent who wanted a tablet.

When it comes to confidence in the security of their healthcare information, 51 percent of the smartphone and tablet users were somewhat confident in having that information somewhere online, while 14 percent were very confident. For more survey results, visit the Harris Interactive website.