The results are in. 75% of patients who had not used telemedicine services previously stated that they would be interested in giving it a shot. Software Advice survey determined this in a recent study. This could have major ramifications for the healthcare industry.
The Survey
The survey interviewed 519 patients over two days. 138 of the participants had utilized telemedicine and 381 hadn’t used telemedicine.
39% of the participants said that they were either “extremely interested” or “very interested” in using telemedicine. Of the participants who hadn’t used these services, 75% were willing to try it.
Of the participants who tried telemedicine services, 71% said that they would “strongly prefer” or “somewhat prefer” telemedicine services to treat minor illnesses.
According to the participants of the study, telemedicine has several benefits. These benefits include not needing to travel to a doctor’s office and the fact that the quality of the care is equal to or better than going to a doctor’s office.
While the feedback given was mostly positive, there was some criticism. Only 6% of participants claimed that they didn’t see any benefits to telemedicine.
Additionally, there were a few concerns that some participants had about using telemedicine services as well. Here are some of those concerns:
- Lack of personal interacction
- Issues with using the technology
- Concerns about security breaches.
More than 50% of participants were not sure whether or not telemedicine services were covered by their insurance.
What Does This Mean?
So what do these results indicate? They indicate that there is support for the use of telemedicine technology. Participants beliieve that telemedicine is a great way to treat minor health issues.. Most participants were willing to give it a try.
Telemedicine has already shown to be effective in cutting costs and treating patients. The Texas Department of Corrections have used telemedicine services to treat their inmates. It has proven greatly effective in cutting their costs and lowering the amount of AIDS-related deaths. This is just one instance of how telehealth services can provide benefits to patients.