Americans Are Ready For Digital Health — Are Your Healthcare IT Clients?

By Megan Williams, contributing writer

In a world of increasingly patient-centered care and regulations, healthcare entities can’t afford to ignore the preferences and behavior patterns of their customers and neither can IT solutions providers. This is especially true when the question is around behaviors and attitudes toward IT in the health space.

For the fifth year in a row, Makovsky/Kelton has released its “Pulse Of Online Health” survey. Gil Bashe, executive VP sums up the survey, “Smartphones and wearables are driving a major behavioral shift in consumer health and wellness. Beyond a desire to speed access to information, consumers are using technology to engage proactively in managing their health — and a personality of ‘search’ is influenced by specific medical conditions. We also see stark differences between Millennials and those 66 and older in this year's survey. Savvy health marketers will apply these insights to engage and involve patients in more meaningful, customized ways.”

Patients Are Willing To Pay

One of the biggest questions around innovation is funding, and according to the survey, patients are willing to pay more for technological advances that actually improve their health.

For example, when given the choice between a new, brand-name medication that came with a $30 copay, and an older one with a $10 copay, 84 percent of those surveyed said they would chose the more expensive option. That decision is heavily influenced by the prospect for fewer side effects, better effectiveness, doctor recommendation, and ease of dosing.

Primed For Technology

The major takeaway from this survey is that the majority of Americans, a full 66 percent, would be willing to use a mobile app to better manage their health. As expected, millennials are the most interested when compared to Americans over 66.

The leading interests in the area of apps are:

• tracking diet and nutrition (47 percent)
• reminders to take medication (46 percent)
• symptom tracking (45 percent)
• tracking physical activity levels (44 percent)

Motivations for using an app vary depending on health conditions. Respondents with GI conditions indicated they’d most be interested in diet and nutrition. If weight was a concern, respondents were most interested in mobile apps that facilitated doctor communication. Americans with pulmonary issues preferred medication reminders, and among those with cardiovascular diseases, tracking sleeping patterns was especially interesting. (Read about the potential ROI you can bring your clients through mobile apps here.)

Trust Matters

Health consumers are very conscious of the quality of information they’re presented with, and they’re looking to the Internet to keep themselves informed, and even to self-diagnose.

When undertaking these activities, WebMD was the most popular source, beating out government sites like the CDC and FDA by a factor of three.

Tom Bernthal, CEO and founder of Kelton weighs in, “It’s amazing that, almost 20 years after it launched, WebMD has become America’s doctor. Online searches are the new house call. This survey shows Americans aren't relying exclusively on healthcare providers or the government for health information these days, underscoring the enormous opportunity for health news organizations and healthcare companies to become go-to sources.”

Going Deeper

Looking for more information on using mobile for your clients? Review this survey on leveraging mobile in the healthcare space.