Remote re-engagers – 30% of those surveyed, the youngest group at ages 18-34, mostly living in urban and suburban areas, are most resistant to in-person doctor visits. They like the convenience and ease of remote visits but have some concerns about data security. Healthcare organizations and providers should underscore their system updates regarding secure data and privacy and urge this group to participate in digital wellness platforms and home-based testing. Highlighting how advanced healthcare has become will boost their overall engagement levels.
Confident re-engagers – 17% of those surveyed, ages 35-54, mostly urban dwellers, have the lowest level of concern about in-person and remote visits and the highest level of positive emotions. This segment will be the least challenging to reengage and is most likely to see the benefits for both in-person and telehealth services.
Key findings for healthcare providers
Four pivotal areas drive consumers’ emotions and decisions about reengaging with healthcare providers:
• Personal relationships – Feeling a strong connection to their physician
• Safety – Concerns exist for both in-person and telehealth care
• Trust – Perceived accuracy of diagnosis and treatment with telemedicine
• Convenience – No travel time
Providers should create more touchpoints to address all segments’ concerns about healthcare experiences:
• Use more opportunities on websites, chatbots, social media, wellness blogs, and customer reviews to discuss successful stories of technology use in healthcare and demonstrate the wellbeing of those patients returning to in-person visits
• Address all safety concerns using these platforms to help reduce fears regarding exposure
• Show video demonstrations of what a remote visit looks like and provide examples of what a patient may prepare ahead of time to make a virtual visit more productive and rewarding
What do these findings mean for the medical equipment industry?
The pandemic pushed healthcare consumers to adopt technology and telehealth at a faster rate. While not all consumers were overjoyed with swapping face-to-face interaction for more screen time, the reality is technology can make the industry more efficient, and in some ways more effective. The hurdle that needs to be overcome is making technology trustworthy and simple for consumers to use.
About the author: Jim Durkin is a founding partner at the Martec Group.Back to HCB News
