Rock Health, a venture fund that invests in healthcare startups, has just released a new survey that found that 46% of Americans are active digital health tool users. Last year, only 19% of Americans were active digital health tool users.
“Active digital health tool users” is defined as consumers who have engaged with three or more categories of digital health tools (e.g. Apple Watch, Fitbit, healthcare apps, live video calls, etc.). Rock Health found that telemedicine, as opposed to wearable technology, was by far the most popular type of digital health tool. Satisfaction rates among telemedicine exceeded 75%.
These findings were backed by a similar survey conducted by Virginia-based information technology company, Surescripts. Surescripts found that the use of telemedicine in particular was favored among patients.
Other interesting statistics gathered from Rock Health’s survey includes the fact that one in five respondents requested or downloaded an electronic version of their medical records within the past six months. The survey also found that 62% of respondents would share their records if it meant contributing to medical research.
This willingness to share personal healthcare information reflects a wider finding in which participants said that family members and medical practitioners are among the people they trust the most. On the contrary, respondents said that they trust government and tech companies the least.
In conclusion, the results of this survey indicate that digital healthcare is on the rise. As this type of technology becomes more readily available, more and more consumers will begin to adopt it.
Read more about the Rock Health survey here.