According to Rock Health’s latest consumer adoption report, real-time video telemedicine will increase in 2020, but the usage rate is still the highest among high-income people with higher education.
The research and venture capital firm conducted a total of 7,980 surveys in its annual survey from September 4, 2020 to October 2, 2020. Researchers pointed out that due to the pandemic, 2020 is an unusual year for healthcare.
The author of the report wrote: “Therefore, unlike the data of previous years, we believe that 2020 is unlikely to represent a certain point on a linear trajectory or a continuous trend line.” “On the contrary, the adoption trend in the future period may be more Following the step response path, during this phase, there will be a period of overshoot, and then a new higher balance will appear, which is lower than the initial “impulse” delivered by COVID-19.”
The utilization rate of real-time video telemedicine has risen from 32% in 2019 to 43% in 2020. Although the number of video calls has increased, the number of real-time phone calls, text messages, emails and health apps have all decreased compared to 2019. The researchers suggest that these indicators are due to the overall decline in health care utilization reported by federal funds.
“This finding (that is, the decline in consumer use of some form of telemedicine at the beginning of the pandemic) was initially surprising, especially considering the widespread coverage of telemedicine use among providers. We think , Will Rogers phenomenon led to this result) It is important that the overall healthcare utilization rate dropped sharply at the beginning of 2020: the utilization rate reached a low point in late March, and the number of completed visits decreased by 60% compared to the same period last year. ,” the author wrote.
People who use telemedicine are mainly concentrated among high-income people and people with chronic diseases. The report found that 78% of respondents who had at least one chronic disease used telemedicine, while 56% of those who did not have a chronic disease.
The researchers also found that 85% of respondents with incomes of more than $150,000 used telemedicine, making it the group with the highest usage rate. Education also played an important role. People with a graduate degree or higher are the most likely to use the technology to report (86%).
The survey also found that men use the technology more frequently than women, the technology used in cities is higher than that in suburban or rural areas, and middle-aged adults are most likely to use telemedicine.
The use of wearable devices has also increased from 33% in 2019 to 43%. Among the people who used wearable devices for the first time during the pandemic, about 66% said they want to manage their health. A total of 51% of users are managing their health status.
The researchers wrote: “Necessity is the root of adoption, especially in telemedicine and remote health tracking.” “However, although more and more consumers are using wearable devices to track health indicators, it is not clear about medical treatment. How the healthcare system adapts to the shift in consumer interest in tracking health data, and it is not clear how much patient-generated data will be integrated into healthcare and disease management.”
60% of respondents said that they searched for online reviews from providers, which is less than in 2019. About 67% of respondents use online platforms to search for health information, a decrease from 76% in 2019.
It is undeniable that during the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine has attracted much attention. However, what will happen after the pandemic is still unknown. This survey shows that users are mainly concentrated in higher-income groups and well-educated groups, a trend that has appeared even before the pandemic.
The researchers pointed out that although the situation may become flat next year, the regulatory reforms carried out last year and increased familiarity with the technology may mean that the utilization rate of the technology will still be higher than before the pandemic.
“[W] We believe that the regulatory environment and ongoing pandemic response will support a balance of digital health adoption that is lower than the peak observed during the first outbreak of the pandemic, but higher than the pre-pandemic level. The authors of the report Writes: “The possibility of continued regulatory reforms in particular supports a higher level of balance after the pandemic. ”
In last year’s Rock Health consumer adoption rate report, telemedicine and digital tools have stabilized. In fact, real-time video chat declined from 2018 to 2019, and the usage of wearable devices remained the same.
Although there were several reports last year that discussed the boom in telemedicine, there were also reports suggesting that the technology may bring unfairness. An analysis by Kantar Health found that the use of telemedicine among different groups of people is unequal.
Post time: Mar-05-2021