Healthcare consumers in Saudi Arabia want a digitally enabled care experience to better manage their health.

PATIENTS WANT A HEAVY DOSE OF DIGITAL

The patient experience is going digital, and consumers are leading the way by accessing electronic health records (EHRs) and using digital tools, such as wearables and apps, to manage their health. Patients have firm beliefs about who should access their data—but providers don’t always agree.

To improve patient engagement and customer satisfaction, healthcare organisations must close the gap between what patients demand and what providers deliver by investing in digital tools and strategies.

Healthcare consumers want to take control of their data

01

Consumers in Saudi Arabia consider digital technology to be an integral part of e�ective health management.

Consumers using technology to manage their health

02

Source: Accenture 2016

Fitness (46%) and diet/nutrition (54%) apps are the most popular among health app users(see Figure 3).

Not very important

Important

Not at all important�������5%

84%

11%

Most consumers to say that technology is important for managing their health

CONSUMERS

FIGURE 1.

Most (84%) consumers find technology important in managing their health (see Figure 1).

Consumers who use technology to manage their health use websites (44%), apps (40%), social media (41%) and wearable technology (14%). Remote consultation (24%) and remote monitoring (12%) are also used by some consumers for health management ( see Figure 2).

Apps

Technology and electronic health management tools consumers used to manage health inthe past year

FIGURE 2.

�����14%

�����40%

Websites

�����44%

Social media

�����41%

Wearable technology Remote consultation

�����24%

Remote monitoring

�����12%

FIGURE 3. The most popular health appsare fitness and diet/nutrition

46%Fitness

54%Diet/nutrition

24%Symptom navigator

Patient portal app 19%

Health/ conditiontracker 28%

Medication tracker/reminder/ manager 18%

Chronic condition ordisease management 17%

Consumers (81%) agree that they receive better care when their doctors can access and use their EHRs (see Figure 4).

Consumers want more access to their data in Electronic Health Records ( EHRs)

03

Source: Accenture 2016

Prescription medication history 5%

Immunisation status 6%

Lab work and blood results 29%

Physician notes from visits/condition 31%

Personal profile information (ie. demographics)

9%

Billing information 3%

X-rays or nuclear imaging results 6%

FIGURE 7. Consumers who have not accessed their EHR say physician

notes and lab results would be most helpful

Immunisation status 4%

Prescription medication history 7%

Lab work and blood test results 34%

Physician notes from visits/condition 27%

Personal profile information (ie. demographics) 11%

Billing information 6%

X-rays or nuclear imaging results 6%

FIGURE 6. Lab work and blood test results in EHRs are

most helpful for managing health

Disagree

Not applicable

Agree

FIGURE 4.Consumers agree that they receive better

care when their doctors can access and use their EHRs

CONSUMERS

�������81%15%

4%

FIGURE 5.Consumers who want EHR access want to see

exactly what the doctor sees, not asummary version

Summary version of what doctor sees

Exactly what the doctor sees

CONSUMERS

�����55%45%

Consumers are becoming more active in managing their health, and the majority (55%) would like to see the same depth of information that the doctors sees, rather than just a summarised version (see Figure 5).

Among those consumers who know what information they have access to, 34% say accessing lab work and blood test results is most helpful to manage their health, while 27% say access to physician notes is most helpful (see Figure 6).

Also, consumers who have not accessed their records say physician notes (31%) and lab results (29%) would be most helpful (see Figure 7).

04

Just over one third (35%) of consumers in the most recent survey said they prefer virtual doctor appointments to face-to-face doctor appointments (see Figure 8).

Consumers agree there arebenefits of remote monitoringand data sharing

Consumers believe that virtual visits provide benefits for patients, such as lower costs (50%) and scheduling convenience for patients (37%) while in person visits provide more quality care ( 48%) (see Figure 9).

Source: Accenture 2016

47%Me

My primary doctor 51%

40%My other doctors/specialists

22%Family members

8%My employer

42%Hospitals I visit

24%Urgent care centers I visit

23%My pharmacy

18%An overseas health expert performing clinical analysis

27%Anyone I give permission to?

19%Doctors/Specialists performing procedure in other country

17%Caregiver

16%The government

8%Retail clinics I visit

FIGURE 10. Consumers view EHR primarily as a tool for their doctors and themselves

�����35%65%

CONSUMERS

Overall, the majority of consumers continue to prefer in-person visits over virtual visits

FIGURE 8.

Virtual visitsIn-person

Consumers in Saudi Arabia associate in-person visits with quality care; consumers see virtual as cost-e�ective

FIGURE 9.

Doctor

76%

Nurse/Other HCP

67%

Friend/Family

Member

67% 62%

Employer

44%

Online community/

Other app users

50%

Health Insurance

Plan

04

Consumers have strong views on who should access their EHR data. They view their EHR as a tool for their primary doctor (51%), or themselves (47%). Very few (8%) consumers believe their employer, retail clinic (8%) or government (16%) should be able to access their health record (see Figure 10).

Consumers are willing to track their health using digital tools, and share the data with healthcare professionals.

Most consumers are willing to share wearable or app data with a doctor (76%) or nurse (67%)—and 40% of health app users have already done so. Willingness to share wearable or app data drops when it comes to employers (44%). (See Figure 11)

Virtual visits In-Person

CONSUMERS

FIGURE 11. Most consumers are willing to share wearable

or app data with a doctor or nurse

Reducing potential (or number of)adverse events

32%

29%

Providing quality care to patients 48%

21%

Engaging patients in theirhealth/healthcare decisions

36%

28%

Diagnosing problems faster 47%

26%

Accommodating physicians’ schedules 25%

13%

Reducing medical costs to patients 23%

50%

Providing timely care to patients 33%

33%

Accommodating patients’ schedules 37%25%

Consumers’ digital adoption is significant, illustrating that patients are leading the way in using digital tools to manage their health. Access to EHRs is increasing significantly, however there is a gap between physician and patient expectations on the level of access to this information. There is an opportunity for doctors to increase the level of transparency and improve communications with patients.

Providers that invest in digital tools and develop strategies to adapt to consumers’ expectations will close the gap between what patients demand, and what providers deliver.

PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE BY CLOSING THE GAP

"Digital technologies are transforming how patients engage and take more control over their health." Dr. Majid Altuwaijri, Accenture H&PS Lead inMiddle East and North Africa

https://twitter.com/AccentureHealth?ref_src=tws-rc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author

For more information:

Kaveh Safavi, M.D., J.D.kaveh.t.safavi@accenture.com

Dr. Majid Altuwaijri majid.altuwaijri@accenture.com.

Accenture 2016 Consumer Survey on Patient Engagement

Accenture commissioned a seven-country survey

of 7,840 consumers ages 18+ to assess their

attitudes toward health, the healthcare system,

electronic health records, healthcare technology

and their healthcare providers’ electronic

capabilities. The online survey included

consumers across seven countries: Australia

(1013), Brazil (1006), England (1009), Norway

(800), Saudi Arabia (852), Singapore (935) and

the United States (2225). The survey was

conducted by Nielsen on behalf of Accenture

between November 2015 and January 2016. The

analysis provided comparisons by country, sector,

age and use.

* Numbers in the figures may not add to 100% due to rounding.

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