Consumer Adoption of Health Tech Slowed by Privacy, Security Concerns

While more than half of American consumers believe that technology can shed light on their healthcare and foster strong relationships with their providers, privacy and security concerns have a direct impact on their willingness to use health technology, according to a recent Kantar study.

The results are concerning given that reports show health tech use can improve patient outcomes. For example, a recent Plos One report showed the use of patient portals cut emergency department visits, while driving more judicious healthcare utilization.

“Patient portal tools that improve patient access to their own health information, support self-management, and help patients communicate asynchronously with providers offer an additional mechanism for delivering high-quality guideline-recommended care that can improve patient health,” according to the report.

Kantar, in partnership with the Digital Health Summit, surveyed 1,000 individuals in November to get a sense of consumer expectations when it comes to technology and its continued integration into healthcare.

Researchers found that innovation is not the largest barrier to health tech adoption, it’s consumer trust. Overall, 53 percent of respondents agreed that technology fosters the patient-provider relationships, while 62 percent said the tech allows them to be more in-tuned with their healthcare.

Despite those numbers, just 38 percent of consumers believe that health tech has the proper security measures in place to protect their sensitive data. About 26 percent of respondents were unaware if proper safeguards existed.

According to the report, the lack of confidence in the privacy and security of health technology platforms has a direct impact on whether consumers will use the tech.

In fact, 60 percent of respondents said privacy concerns, such as data breaches, deter them from leveraging wearable fitness trackers or telemedicine platforms.

What’s more, just 16 percent of consumers are using voice-driven assistants like Google Home or Amazon’s Alexa for health-related matters. Fewer individuals have used the devices to set medication reminders (14 percent), fitness regimen management (13 percent), or to contact a healthcare provider (11 percent).

The research also showed Americans have a high level of skepticism around implantable devices, with fewer than half of respondents saying they would consider using an implantable device to manage serious medical conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, dementia, or chronic pain.

On the other hand, consumer skepticism around health tech concerns drastically reduce when discussing the use of artificial intelligence in the healthcare space. Fifty percent of consumers believe AI could develop better drugs or treatment plans, while 57 percent said AI could identify personal health issues.

Another 57 percent said AI could help predict or prevent health epidemics.

The concerns outlined in the report are validated: BMJ found that 79 percent of the most popular health apps routinely share user data without transparency. Another JAMA study showed the majority of mental health apps for smoking cessation and depression also disclosed data without accurate disclosures to the user.

Over the last year, Congress has worked to combat the privacy and security concerns raised by health apps and other health technology, in an effort to fuel innovation while maintaining consumer data privacy protections. Part of the issue is that HIPAA does not cover all health app use in the healthcare space.

As noted in recent Department of Health and Human Services guidance around patient health apps, provider liability varies by use.

“The FAQs clarify that once protected health information has been shared with a third-party app, as directed by the individual, the HIPAA-covered entity will not be liable under HIPAA for subsequent use or disclosure of electronic protected health information, provided the app developer is not itself a business associate of a covered entity or other business associate,” officials explained at the time.