Sony Survey Shows Support for Doctors Prescribing mHealth Devices
The survey finds that patients living with a chronic condition would do better if they had an mHealth device to manage their health at home - but they want those devices to come from their doctor.
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By - People living with a chronic condition want telehealth and mHealth tools to help manage their health at home, as long as those tools are coming from their doctor.
That conclusion, from a survey released today by Sony, points to the value of a remote patient monitoring platform in care management, as well as the difference in public perception between a prescribed device and a consumer-facing device, such as a smartwatch or fitness tracker.
“Chronic conditions cost the US healthcare system $3.1 trillion in 2019, and the burden of ongoing treatment and compliance impacts patients and providers alike,” Arnol Rios, Head of Network Communications Sales and Business Development in North America for Takeoff Point, a Sony company, said in a press release accompanying the survey, which was timed to come out on the first day of the American Telemedicine Association’s week-long virtual summit. “What this study highlights is that US consumers are eager to adopt remote health monitoring devices. Wearable devices … hold the potential to reduce the need for costly and complex acute interventions that don’t align with proactive, personalized care models of the future.”
According to the survey of some 2,000 people managing chronic conditions or helping a loved one with a chronic condition taken between May 29 and June 2, 88 percent say a “specialized remote health monitoring device” would help them manage their health at home, and about 75 percent said they’d use such a device it were given to them by their doctor.
But when asked if they would trust a consumer wearable that isn’t specifically designed for their chronic condition, only 28 percent said they would and another 28 percent said they wouldn’t. And roughly half of those surveyed said they’d seriously consider switching doctors if their doctor didn’t offer an mHealth device as part of their treatment.
Meanwhile, only 20 percent of those surveyed have been offered an mHealth device by their doctor, pointing to the as-yet-untapped potential of remote patient monitoring platforms in helping providers manage care for their patients with chronic conditions.
The value of such devices is evident. According to the survey, 28 percent had a health scare or an emergency that would not have happened had they been tracking their health or their medication use on an mHealth platform. And about 45 percent say they’ve forgetten to take a prescribed medication, therapy or treatment at least once a month.
Roughly 53 percent of those surveyed, meanwhile, say an mHealth device would allow them to visit their doctor’s office less often, as they would be sharing data with their doctor via telehealth. About 64 percent said this would allow them to cut out at least three visits a year.
Finally, 63 percent said having an mHealth device would make them better informed about their care management, while 41 percent said they’d feel safer, 38 percent said they’d feel more confident and 35 percent said they’d feel more protected. Survey respondents were able to check off multiple boxes on that question.
