The Journal of mHealth Vol 1 Issue 1 (Feb 2014) | Page 25

Cisco Study: 74% of Consumers Open to Virtual Doctor Visit IN-PERSON VS. VIRTUAL CUSTOMER SERVICE The report findings challenged the assumption that face-to-face interaction is always the preferred health care experience. While consumers still depend heavily on inperson medical treatments, given a choice between virtual access to care and human contact, three quarters of patients and citizens would choose access to care and are comfortable with the use of technology for the clinician interaction. Key findings: » Three quarters of consumers indicate they are comfortable with the idea of communicating with doctors using technology instead of seeing them in person. » » » In China, Russia and Mexico, nearly three-quarters of consumers would be comfortable communicating with a specialist using virtual technology (e.g. video chatting, text messaging) for a health condition. More than 60 percent of consumers from Germany, Japan and the U.S. indicate being comfortable with the idea of being treated by a specialist using virtual technology. Patients and citizens will give up anything, including cost, convenience and travel, to be treated at a perceived leading health care provider to gain access to trusted care and expertise. HOW MUCH DO CONSUMERS AND HCDMS RELY ON TECHNOLOGY? As machines become connected and networked, they play an even larger role in the overall health care experience. Interest in accessing health information on mobile devices is growing rapidly and is the No. 1 topic of consumer interest In Mexico, Brazil and China. Key findings: » About 4 in 10 consumers indicate they would be interested in receiving recommendations about doctors, hospitals, medication, etc., automatically through their computer or mobile devices. » While the majority of consumers who have health care apps on their mobile devices indicate their apps are related to healthy eating and exercise, 25 percent indicate they are for chronic disease management. » Nearly one in four indicates receiving health-related reminders on their device. “The patient and care provider experiences are top of mind in health care around the world. Due to the increasing convergence of the digital and physical, there is an opportunity to provide increased collaboration and information sharing among providers to improve the care experience and operate more efficiently,” said Kathy English, Public Sector and Healthcare Marketing, Cisco.  23 The Journal of mHealth