Half of people in the UK and USA would use a digital health device as part of their treatment plan if a healthcare professional recommended it, according to the Ipsos International Survey on Connected Health.
The online survey among adults aged 18-80 in the USA, UK and Japan revealed that around half of those in the USA and UK, together with a fifth in Japan, agreed that they would use a connected health device (CHD) or tool as part of their treatment plan if it was recommended to them by a physician.
However, a corresponding survey among 200 physicians found that only a minority consider themselves knowledgeable enough to choose the right CHD or tool for their patients – 24% in the US, 12% in the UK and 11% in Japan.
According to the research, 21% of the US general public now use some form of CHD or tool to manage their health. This is followed by 11% in the UK and 5% in Japan.
The survey indicates that for all three countries, however, the future looks set to be more connected in this respect: 37% of the general public in the US, together with 26% in the UK and 13% in Japan, believe that CHDs will form part of treatment plans in the future.
The survey also contained a focus on Type 2 Diabetes across the study markets, including a technology preference segmentation of diabetes patients in all three countries.
Both Type 2 Diabetes patients and physicians were in agreement on the top reasons for CHD uptake and recommendation, according to the research. Among the top mentions were: weight loss, to monitor/improve exercise and to get self/patients interested in their own health.
The survey additionally displayed that more than a third (36%) of UK physicians said an important barrier to uptake is that patients had never asked for a connected health device – but for 20% of the UK general public and 37% of Type 2 Diabetes patients in the UK, the barrier was that the physician had not recommended one.
These proportions are lower in the US and then Japan but still reflect a level of disconnect between physicians and patients.
Furthermore, 33% of the general public in the USA and 23% in the UK consider their physician to be knowledgeable enough to choose the right connected health device or tool for them. But by contrast, only 24% of physicians in the USA and 12% in the UK consider themselves knowledgeable enough to choose the right connected health device or tool for their patients.
Reena Sangar, Ipsos Healthcare’s head of digital and connected health, said: “By enabling earlier diagnosis, preventing disease onset and reducing healthcare costs, connected health has the potential to transform global healthcare.
“However, greater education and support in navigating the connected health landscape is clearly vital if we are to realise its considerable potential.”
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