This year’s “Digital Trends Survey 2021” focuses on the use of digital technologies during treatment in the outpatient sector. Even if we are currently still a long way from computers treating patients, the medical profession must already address the question of what role digital technologies such as artificial intelligence should and may take in medicine.
The study, conducted by the FMH for the second time, is based on the “patient journey” – the patient’s journey before, during and after the medical consultation. This year’s focus was on digital applications during treatment and included the Covid 19 pandemic. A total of 507 outpatient physicians and 2096 Swiss residents were surveyed about digital trends in outpatient healthcare. Thus, the “Digital Trends Survey 2021” sheds light on the needs as well as the subjectively perceived benefits of the medical profession and the population with regard to new digital health applications. The methodology and questionnaire were developed in collaboration with physicians and gfs.bern. In addition to questions with a classic Likert scale, a decision experiment was conducted in which respondents had to compare several characteristics of medical practices and then decide which of the two medical practices presented they preferred.
Improve the quality and availability of relevant digital data
The Covid 19 pandemic clearly demonstrates the difficulties in sharing data among different stakeholders. Both the medical profession and the Swiss population see a need for action here. To address the crisis, both data quality and the availability of relevant digital data must be improved. Despite the use of electronic medical records in physicians’ offices, the exchange of pandemic-related data involves a great deal of administrative work and often leads to double-entry bookkeeping by physicians, the costs of which are not covered.
There is little interest in digitally replacing the core medical service
Interest in digital health services remains very high among the medical profession and the general public. Digital offerings that simplify administrative processes are particularly appreciated. For example, around three quarters of the physicians surveyed keep medical records electronically, which the public also sees as an advantage. In addition, the population is most interested in automatic enrollment and information exchange with a post-acute care physician. In contrast, digital applications that completely replace core medical services are of little interest. Both the classic personal calling out of patients in the waiting room and the personal examination by the doctor are clearly preferred to digital options. Pure diagnosis driven by intelligent software or the automated creation of a treatment plan is rejected by all respondents. In general, the population is somewhat more open than the medical profession to hybrid solutions, such as examinations supported by digital decision aids or the creation of treatment plans using software.
Interest in the electronic patient dossier (EPD) persists
The openness of the population to digital options for documentation and exchange with healthcare professionals is also reflected in their willingness to open an EPD. When it comes to storing sensitive patient data, the patients surveyed trust the medical profession to comply with data protection. But even if doctors do not offer an EPD, this is not a reason for the vast majority of patients to change their family doctor. Only one-fifth of respondents would definitely change doctors if the doctor did not participate in the EPD and they therefore had no access to their data in the EPD. Patient satisfaction with primary care physicians is also reflected in the fact that two-thirds would recommend their primary care physician to others. There is still potential for expansion and enhancement in the digital offerings, with which just under a quarter of patients are somewhat to very dissatisfied.
Digital Health Gap in old age
If the age groups are examined in more detail, it becomes apparent that older patients in Switzerland are very open to the use of digital tools for documentation and exchange between healthcare professionals, but more reticent about the use of computer-assisted decision support or digital treatment pathways. Younger patients are only slightly more likely to want consistent face-to-face physician contact, clearly demand the use of computer-assisted decision-making tools, and can envision a digital “patient journey” at many points.
Digitization as a potential to create time for personal treatment
The physicians surveyed and the population agree on one point: digitization should create more time for personal treatment by the physician. The medical profession is also almost unanimous in its assessment of the human factor for successful treatment, which cannot be replaced by artificial intelligence. The knowledge and experience of physicians are highly valued, and the population and the medical profession tend to be skeptical about purely digital examinations and treatments. However, the population is more open to hybrid approaches consisting of conventional methods combined with digital decision support.
Source: Media release “Digital Trends Survey 2021”. 15.09.2021. FMH, Bern.
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