consumer health trends
Post on 27-Jan-2015
110 Views
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
Creation Healthcare is an international consultancy helping healthcare and pharmaceutical
companies to understand and implement engagement strategies.
In this presentation today we will be taking a look at some of the emerging trends for
consumers using the Internet, and the impact that this is having on the healthcare
landscape.
This will only be a snapshot, based on a compilation of various existing studies that have
relevance to this organization. We are not predicting the future, but merely bringing a
perspective on what is happening right now, at this moment in time.
There is no need to iterate that our healthcare system has no function without a patient.
Many stakeholders are interconnected through this healthcare universe to provide the
necessary support and services for patients.
Over time the healthcare system has increased in complexity, to the point where the
patient had in recent times become arguably insignificant in the process of choosing and
administering treatment.
Along comes the Internet; giving the patient an ability to discover health information
which may impact on their treatment choices.
Additionally, the healthcare system paradigm has been forced into a new landscape; When
transposed to the age of the Internet, new factors affect the relationships between these
stakeholders i.e. Ratings, user generated content, etc.
The Internet is a phenomenon which no one could have predicted during the early 1990s.
According to ITU, approximately 1 in 4 people in the world are now online; nearly 3 in
4 citizens of the developed world. This is such a fundamental and powerful change
affecting the world and healthcare, which is only growing in importance.
When the Internet first became a public entity, communicators could only see the potential
as another advertising or PR channel. For many, a website was simply and electronic
version of the company brochure.
Not only have the numbers increased, but the whole mode of operation has changed. The
Internet is not a broadcast medium, it is a dynamic and lively place for information
exchange.
When looking by market, there are clear patterns and differences between the fast
growing emerging web markets such as the Far East and India compared with the more
established web markets like the United Kingdom and Europe.
The Western developed countries have stabilised in behaviour; tending to maintain a
relatively common spread of usage between social networking, entertainment, and
researching.
This becomes quite clear when comparing to other emerging markets such as Russia and
Brazil. Note that the emerging markets are very engaged in social activity and slightly
less in researching about products or services online.
Whereas the UK, Germany, Japan, and South Korea have a greater focus on using the
Internet for informational and researching needs.
In just four years from 2004 to 2008, we have seen approximately 30% increase in
usage of the Internet in relation to health. These figures are based on a survey of 8,714
people in the USA, Q3 2008.
Nonetheless, this is indicative of the developed world generally. Since the inception of the
Internet, the US has been a useful indicator for global trends – usually one to two years
ahead of the rest of the world. This gap has been reducing in the past ten years.
Considering a more international example, in a global study of 5183 people across US, UK,
Germany, Russia, and China: 63 percent of people said they are becoming more
actively engaged in health issues; 60 percent are becoming more actively engaged with
health products and services; and 40 percent are becoming more actively engaged with
companies and organizations involved in health. (Edelman 2009).
Time to introduce a term that is used increasingly in relation to online health consumers: e-
Patient
Note: other consultancies create different words to explain the same thing; i.e. Edelman
calls them “Health Info-entials”.
They are Health Involved, Health Informed and Health Engaged... A little different to a
typical Internet user – they are proactively participating in the treatment of their own
condition, or that of a loved one. They are champions of finding and disseminating
information to people like themselves.
Information is key. In this diagram we see three concentric circles, representing the
overlap of health management sites, health information sites, and social networking sites.
There is a convergence taking place in the Internet between social networking and health
information sharing websites, with the individual participating at the centre.
Who provides the information? How accurate is the information? Who owns and maintains
the information. Increasingly, the „land-grab‟ of online information provision is „health and
wellness‟ – rather than „sickness‟.
So which countries have the most Internet users that are „e-Patients‟, as a percentage?
It is in emerging markets such as China that we see the greatest engagement of „e-
Patients‟ in finding health information, and making decisions based on this information.
There are a variety of reasons why some developed countries do not engage more on
health – including apathy, time, tradition etc.
Health is personal, but e-Patients are willing to share.
Privacy is certainly an increasingly important issue with the Internet generally, but evidence
suggests that in health there is a willingness to contribute information that may help others.
That said, we find that patients/consumers spend more time looking for information than
they are prepared to spend sharing it.
The ability to research health information has an impact on the decisions made about
healthcare too
The question was asked; “Where do you go to find information to make decisions about
your healthcare?” (Select all that apply). N=3,500 consumers in seven countries (the U.K.,
Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, U.S., Canada, and Australia).
Other studies show similar evidence that e-Patients are researching prior to undertaking a
health related decision. This data is based on a survey of 4,001 people, conducted October
2008.
Not just research for informational reasons; these people are empowered to make different
decisions. This data is based on a sample size of 2,253 US adults, Nov-Dec 2008.
This leads us into discussing Doctors online: Physicians have been turning to the Internet
for some time.
Sermo (US), Doctors.net.uk (UK), doc2doc and others are providing private networks
where serious information sharing and communication is taking place. In the EU we now
see 95% using the Internet for professional use.
More importantly, these doctors are influencing patients and consumers in the way
they access information.
Mainly for disease or condition awareness, but also patient support; health or lifestyle
change; compliance and disease management; medicine and treatment specific
information; online communities for patients with the same condition.
Eighty-eight percent of respondents noted that they turn to their physicians to validate
online information, and the same number turn to other sources to validate information from
their doctor. (n=5183, Global)
New technology brings controversy – change. Evidence shows that the impact of the
Internet is more than a simple trend, it is a paradigm shift unlike anything the health care
industry has seen before. It is at times subtle, yet is slowly and consistently impacting every
aspect of health services provision. The key to it all is information, and the potential for two-
way engagement with individuals.
For those wanting to capitalize on the opportunities – need an informed and strategic
approach. What is the role of this organization in providing information? What kinds of
information will you provide? What level of two-way engagement will be appropriate? What
perception does/will the consumer have of the organizational „brand‟? How can the
organization tap into new insights and measurement afforded by patient communities?
top related