Patients are increasingly becoming more willing to engage with their providers through modern technology, but the industry is only at the starting line of connected health, according to new research from Salesforce.
Salesforce’s first “State of the Connected Patient” report surveyed more than 1,700 Americans who have health insurance and a primary care doctor to look at how patients are currently connecting with their providers, as well as their technology requests for the future.
The report found many millennials have a limited or even non-existent relationship with their primary care doctor, as 40 percent reported saying their primary care doctor would not recognize them walking down the street. However, the report further found that:
- 60 percent of millennials are interested in using telehealth options (e.g., video chat with a doctor) so they don't have to come into the office for an appointment.
- 71 percent of millennials would be interested in a doctor/provider giving them a mobile app on their smartphone/tablet to actively manage their well-being for preventative care, review health records, schedule appointments.
- 63 percent of millennials would be interested in proactively providing their health data from WiFi/wearable devices to their doctor/provider so they can monitor their well-being.
What’s more, the report did find that few patients currently use health IT tools to connect with their doctors and access their personal health data, according to MobiHealthNews. Less than 10 percent of those surveyed said they use the web, email or text to set up appointments, compared to 76 percent that still do so over the phone and 25 percent that schedule their appointments in person. When it comes to looking at their own health data, only 21 percent said they used the Eleven percent use the phone, 10 percent use email, and 40 percent said they review their health data in person.
