News Feature | August 11, 2015

Do Your Patients Know What Telemedicine Is?

Katie Wike

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Thinkstock_PatientEngagement

According to a recent survey, 41 percent of consumers say they’ve never heard of telemedicine.

Patients participating in a recent survey revealed they may not know exactly what telemedicine is; in fact, some claimed they had never even heard the term. The survey, conducted by Healthmine, asked 1,200 consumers whether they would use telemedicine if their physician offered it as an alternative to an in-office visit and whether they knew when it would be best to use telemedicine. They were given the option for the second question to respond with “I’ve never heard of telemedicine.”

Surprisingly, ages of those who said they had never heard of telemedicine were:

  • 30 percent among respondents ages 25 to 34
  • 42 percent among respondents ages 35 to 44
  • 46 percent among respondents ages 45 to 54
  • 46 percent among respondents ages 55 to 65

Forty-five percent of respondents would use telemedicine if offered, 16 percent would not, and 39 percent were not sure.

iHealth Beat reports the rates of consumers who said they would use telemedicine varied by age, with:

  • 58 percent among respondents ages 25 to 34
  • 44 percent among respondents ages 35 to 44
  • 41 percent among respondents ages 45 to 54
  • 37 percent among respondents ages 55 to 64

“Telemedicine has the potential to deliver convenient and affordable basic healthcare to people of all ages,” Bryce Williams, CEO and President of HealthMine said, report MobiHealth News. “Wellness programs can be the place where consumers are educated on the best way to access healthcare services, whether it be through a doctor’s office, emergency room, urgent care center, or telemedicine visit. Plus, telehealth is evolving to more than telephone visits. Soon, your smartphone will be a stethoscope and more.”

The percentages of those who claimed they did not know what telemedicine was were:

  • 30 percent among respondents ages 25 to 34
  • 42 percent among respondents ages 35 to 44
  • 46 percent among respondents ages 45 to 54
  • 46 percent among respondents ages 55 to 65