Coronavirus Gives People a Reason to Use Telehealth, But Doubts Remain

Nearly three-quarters of people recently surveyed say they would consider using telehealth for treatment if they feel they have symptoms of the Coronavirus. And two-thirds said the pandemic has increased their willingness to try connected health for the first time.

The responses to a survey of 2,000 adults by Sykes Enterprises aren’t surprising, given the increased adoption of telehealth and mHealth by healthcare providers during the COVID-19 crisis to triage patients and protect doctors and nurses. But they do represent some of the first numbers to come in on public perception of telehealth, and they could be used to help keep the momentum going once the emergency has passed.

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The survey, taken on March 19 and 20 and including respondents from across the country, appears to show that public knowledge of telehealth is improving, regardless of the pandemic.

More than half of those surveyed said their health insurer now provides telehealth, while almost 35 percent said they weren’t sure and only about 10 percent said no. Almost three-quarters said they have been adequately informed on how to use telehealth, while almost 20 percent said they’ve used telehealth, almost 40 percent said they’ve considered using it but haven’t tried it yet and another 38 percent said they would consider it.

Of those who have used telehealth so far, meanwhile, almost 60 percent have used it more than once, and almost 37 percent said they’d use it again. This falls in nicely with a 2019 survey by J.D. Power that found telehealth to have a higher satisfaction rate than other segments of healthcare.

Aside from cost and availability – two linchpins to consumer adoption of telehealth, more than 36 percent of those surveyed said they’d choose telehealth because it either allows them to see a care provider without going to the doctor’s office or a clinic, or they’d be able to get a diagnosis without sitting in a waiting room around other patients.

Of the three Coronavirus-specific questions in the survey, while almost 75 percent said they would use telehealth to see if they’ve been infected, less than 12 percent have done so, and almost 84 percent said they don’t know anyone who has used telehealth to be screened for the virus.

Now for the challenges to telehealth adoption.

There’s still a healthy amount of skepticism to the effectiveness of a telehealth visit. When asked what might deter them from using virtual care, more than 41 percent said they aren’t convinced the platform will properly diagnose and treat them. More than 36 percent said they prefer to meet someone in person, and 23 percent said they’d be uncomfortable speaking to an unfamiliar care provider.

When asked what, in particular, concerns them about telehealth, more than 40 percent cited either quality of care or the accuracy of the diagnosis, while 26 percent cited security and privacy concerns and almost 17 percent said they didn’t want their healthcare visit to be recorded.

Finally, when asked if telehealth is comparable in quality to in-person care, the reactions were mixed: 31.4 percent said yes, 24.5 percent said no, 12 percent weren’t sure and 31.9 percent – the highest amount – said telehealth isn’t comparable to in-person care but it’s a good option for an initial consult and/or basic care.