For the first time in years, consumers’ use of digital health tools has waned, according to new research from Accenture.
According to researchers who put together the “Accenture 2020 Digital Health Consumer Survey,” for the first time in their “multi-year, multi-country research program, we’ve seen no uptick in digital health management activity by U.S. consumers—in fact, it dropped in certain areas.”
The data, which was pulled from a broader seven-country survey of nearly 8,000 consumers, showed that one-third of U.S. consumers surveyed (33 percent) are not using any digital tools to manage their health. Use of mobile devices and applications fell from nearly half (48 percent) using these tools in 2018 to only 35 percent in 2020. Use of wearable technology—for instance, devices that collect health data such as fitness and vitals—has decreased from 33 percent in 2018 to just 18 percent in 2020.
What are the reasons for the reduction in use? According to Accenture researchers, “While actual users see benefits in these services, growing mistrust in the technology industry, security concerns and a cumbersome first digital experience may have turned some people off or kept them away. Consumers look to trusted providers to motivate them to manage their health; however, so far, relatively few doctors are recommending digital tools to do so.”
At the same time, however, those consumers who use digital tools and services to manage their health are experiencing benefits, the data revealed. In fact, 43 percent said these services have increased their focus on wellness and prevention, and 34 percent reported that digital services have given them a better understanding of their health. Nearly one-quarter of consumers noted that digital health services provide an increased convenience of accessing care.
What’s more, nearly a quarter of healthcare consumers (23 percent) said reliable and secure digital tools that help them to understand their health habits would motivate them to take a more active role in managing their health, yet only 11 percent of consumers reported that their health provider has recommended digital tools to manage their health.
Another takeaway from the research is that consumers have lost trust. In 2019, 89 percent of healthcare consumers trusted their doctor or other provider "very much" or "some" to keep their digital healthcare information, such as electronic medical records (EMRs), secure. That percentage dropped to 83 percent in 2020.
Trust in tech companies has also declined. More than half of consumers (55 percent) said they do not trust these companies to keep digital health information secure. When asked "how much do you trust each of the following organizations or people to keep your digital healthcare information secure," doctors ranked as second-most trusted (83 percent)—following hospitals (84 percent)—whereas tech companies ranked second to last (45 percent).
While doctors are unsurprisingly the most trusted actors in the healthcare ecosystem, just 31 percent of consumers said they trust diagnoses or treatments determined entirely by intelligent machine or artificial intelligence (AI).
Despite the decline in adoption of digital health technologies and waning trust, consumers remain interested in virtual health services. If given the choice, many healthcare consumers would choose virtual for basic care services, and even for specialty care, the research found.
