Most people are optimistic about technology innovations advancing health care, are willing to participate in virtual health-care visits with their doctors and would use health sensors in their bodies and even their toilets, according to a new study commissioned by technology giant Intel.
The survey revealed an overwhelming majority of people (84 percent) globally would anonymously share their personal health information, such as lab results, if it could lower medication costs or overall cost to the health-care system.
A higher percentage of people said they are more willing to share their health records (47 percent) than their phone records (38 percent) or banking information (30 percent) to aid innovation. More than half (57 percent) of respondents said they believe traditional hospitals will be obsolete in the future.
“This survey indicates very high willingness of people to become part of the solution to the world’s health-care problems with the aid of all sorts of technologies,” Eric Dishman, Intel fellow and general manager of the company’s health and life sciences group, said in a statement. “Most people appear to embrace a future of health care that allows them to get care outside hospital walls, lets them anonymously share their information for better outcomes, and personalizes care all the way down to an individual’s specific genetic makeup.”
The report projected that as remote health-care technology and self-monitoring tools improve, people may embrace technologies that will allow them to connect with their caregivers in new ways, such as sensor technology that transmits health data in real time. For example 72 percent of those surveyed are willing to see a doctor through video conference for non-urgent appointments.
“Technologies such as high-performance computing and big data analytics have the power to change the face of health in this world, and most people seem to desire that,” Dishman said. “When given a choice between getting the same care as others who have their symptoms or getting care based on their own genetic profile, two in three respondents choose customized care.”
Two-thirds of people say they would prefer a personalized health-care regimen designed specifically for them based on their genetic profile or biology, and 53 percent of people say they would trust a test they personally administered as much or more than if performed by a doctor. About 30 percent of people would trust themselves to perform their own ultrasound, the report found.
Half of those surveyed would trust a diagnosis delivered through video conference from their doctor, and almost half of respondents (43 percent) globally would trust themselves to monitor their own blood pressure and other basic vitals.