Telemedicine is here to stay: the pros and cons according to GPs and patients

Telemedicine is here to stay: the pros and cons according to GPs and patients

Future use of telemedicine is expected to be twice as common as before Covid in the UK

London, July 2021 - The telehealth market is expected to grow at a remarkable rate of 40% reaching $194.05 billion globally in 2023[1]. Despite this rapid growth, until now there has been little research on both patient and health care provider (HCP) perspectives about the adoption of telemedicine.

With this in mind, insights and innovation agency buzzback conducted three waves of primary research and talked to 1500+ people in the UK and US to understand their attitudes towards telemedicine and what’s next. To give a holistic view, buzzback also interviewed over 150 General Practitioners and Primary Care Physicians using a Blended ResearchTM online quali-quant study. Here are some of the key findings:

• The frequent or exclusive use of telemedicine by GPs has risen from 20-30% pre-Covid to almost 80% in the UK at the beginning of 2021.
• Telemedicine is being used for all kinds of appointments, both for ongoing issues and for new symptoms and initial visits.
• Although healthcare practitioners are mostly using mainstream platforms – such as Zoom or Teams – some specialised channels are emerging. In the UK AccuRx in particular has seen rapid growth since the start of the pandemic.

Telemedicine is definitely here to stay although in-person appointments will be reintegrated to patients’ routines. In the UK especially, the use of telemedicine is twice as strong compared to pre-pandemic usage and is expected to continue at similar rates.

But how do HCPs and patients feel about it?

The level of satisfaction with telemedicine is high both for GPs and for patients. Over 70% of practitioners and patients are satisfied with these types of appointments. They’re perceived to be especially helpful for answering patients’ questions and offering them greater time efficiency. However, on the negative side, the inability to monitor vital signs and frustrations with technology create the most disappointment. The lack of human connection is also a downside. One respondent said “Sometimes talking to a professional on the phone could be frustrating as they don’t understand the whole picture - or could not visualise the physical symptoms accurately. I felt less connected to the GP”.

Buzzback’s latest findings also show that a third or more of UK GPs and patients say the quality of telemedicine appointments has worsened during the pandemic. They highlighted some key disadvantages, such as frustrations with the technology itself, the limitations of no physical contact (meaning a longer process and lower confidence levels in diagnosis), and a less personal experience.

Overall telemedicine should complement in-person appointments, with blended offering to maximise the advantages of both approaches. One of the HCP respondent said: “I do not want a career on the telephone”, however both practitioners and patients do see the value of telehealth in certain instances.

Going forward, there’s a need for improved internet access and connectivity, better quality video and IT technology for more reliable consultations. In a time where people are hungry for human interaction, patients are also hoping for longer appointments and ways to make the experience more personal.

Martin Oxley, MD at buzzback UK, said: “Telemedicine is becoming increasingly predominant in the healthcare landscape. Although some aspects need improvement, satisfaction is already high and major healthcare and tech players are taking interest in this growing industry, for example Amazon Care. In order to improve the experiences of both patients and healthcare practitioners, it’s important to keep looking at what the next steps should be for this growing market”.

Methodology

Buzzback conducted three waves of primary research during the pandemic. The first wave, in July 2020, was looking at initial experiences of telehealth during Covid. The second wave, at the end of February 2021, talked to both PCPs and patients in the US and UK. The third wave, in June 2021, talked to both HCPs and patients in the US and UK. For more than 1500 patients and over 150 practitioners.

Buzzback used a quali-quant blended survey and worked together with TherapeuticsMD to gain a perspective from business, especially around key questions and implications.

About buzzback

For over 20 years, innovation and research agency buzzback has helped hundreds of brands worldwide better connect with consumers, break through marketing challenges, and grasp new opportunities. Major consumer, pharmaceutical and financial services companies have innovated using buzzback’s intuitive image-driven & language-rich approach. 

Headquartered in NYC, with offices in the UK, buzzback has won numerous industry and technology awards, including being listed on the GRIT Top 50 Innovative Research companies several years in a row, as well as one of Crain’s 100 Best Places to Work in NYC three years in a row. Buzzback is a woman-owned diversity supplier.