NEW YORK, Aug. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Key takeaways
From 2018 to 2020 (pre-pandemic) there was a decrease in consumers' willingness to share their data in all the areas measured, except for health care research, which stayed steady. However, during the pandemic, the study showed an increase in consumer willingness to share data in every scenario measured.
Consumers using virtual visits rose from 15% to 19% from 2019 to early 2020; this jumped to 28% in April 2020. On average, 80% are likely to have another virtual visit, even post COVID-19.
When asked to rank the most important factors for an ideal experience with their doctor, in 2020, 44% of consumers ranked "a doctor or health care provider who listens to me and shows they care about me" as the No. 1 factor.
Why this matters
The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the health care system upside down and challenged consumers' sense of well-being. In many ways, consumers are taking charge of their health more than ever before. They are learning about their health risks, communicating with their doctors in new and different ways, and changing their attitudes about data privacy. Each of these factors has a significant influence on how consumers are feeling and interacting with the health system.
Deloitte gained an understanding of current U.S. consumer behaviors and attitudes through its Deloitte Center for Health Solutions' "2020 Survey of US Health Care Consumers". Since 2008, Deloitte has been conducting this survey to explore and collect longitudinal data on the subject, and this year the survey rolled out just before the pandemic started. To add insights from consumers during the pandemic, Deloitte compared this with data from Deloitte's "Health Care Consumer Response to COVID-19 Survey" conducted in April 2020.
Caring about data sharing
After a slight decline in willingness to share data before COVID-19, Deloitte's most recent survey shows that consumers are more comfortable sharing data during a crisis.
When asked how willing they would be to share personal health information as a result of the crisis, consumers were in favor across a variety of measures:
With their health insurance provider: 71% would be willing as a result of COVID-19 versus 65% prior to COVID-19.
With their preferred local health care system or provider: 73% would be willing as a result of COVID-19 versus 71% prior to COVID-19.
With a leading national health care provider: 53% would be willing as a result of COVID-19 versus 47% prior to COVID-19.
