Survey shows that tech-savvy seniors want online health services

Senior citizens who value technology want access to online healthcare services from their homes, but are concerned the technology hasn’t developed sufficiently to do so.

According to an Accenture survey, two-thirds of seniors who place a high priority on technology want access to online healthcare service, but 66 percent don’t think digital technology has advanced enough to adequately provide those services.

Most seniors want access to technology that could provide services like virtual physician consultations, but, according to Accenture, less than one-third of healthcare providers provide this kind of option.

For the survey, Accenture conducted consumer research with 10,730 adults across 10 countries, including 354 U.S. seniors (ages 65 or older) receiving Medicare benefits.

The survey also determined:

  • Three out of every five prefer using self-care technology to independently manage their health.
  • Three out of five are willing to wear devices to track their vital signs, such as blood pressure and heart rate.
  • Three out of five will turn to online communities such as Patient Like Me to evaluate a doctor’s recommendation before acting on it.
  • One-third of seniors prefer to work with patient navigators to manage their health.
  • One-quarter of seniors regularly use electronic health records (such as accessing lab reports) to manage their health.

Accenture is a global organization providing management consulting, technology and outsourcing services.

Michael Bassett,

Contributor

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