Ericsson, one of Europe’s leading telecom companies, earlier this month published its latest ConsumerLab report, “From Healthcare to Homecare” on the next generation of healthcare enabled by the greater speed and security of 5G–the fifth generation of wireless mobile. Their key findings among consumers and industry decision makers contained surprises:
- Growing frustration with hospital wait times. 39 percent prefer an online consult with a doctor versus waiting for the face-to-face.
- Wearables are perceived as better ways to monitor and even administer medication for chronic conditions–nearly two in three consumers want them. But medical grade wearables will be required.
- Yet the current state doesn’t lend itself to these wishes. “55 percent of healthcare decision makers from regulatory bodies say these devices are not sufficiently accurate or reliable for diagnosis. In addition, for liability reasons it will be very difficult to rely on patients’ smartphones for connectivity….medical-grade wearables will be required. Such devices could also automatically dispense medicine and offer convenience to those recovering from surgery.”
- +/- 60 percent of surveyed consumers believe that wearables will improve lifestyles, provide personalized care, and put people in control of their own health.
- There’s real security concerns that 5G is expected to access: “61 percent of consumers say remote robotic surgery is risky as it relies on the internet….47 percent of telecom decision makers say that secure access to an online central repository [of medical records] is a key challenge and expect 5G to address this.” Surprisingly, only 46 percent of cross-industry decision makers consider data security to be an issue. Battery power is also a significant concern for over half in wearables, a problem that over 40 percent will be helped by 5G.
- Even more surprising is the lack of desire for consumer access to their medical records–only 35 percent of consumers believe that it will help them easily manage the quality and efficiency of their care. In contrast, 45 percent of cross-industry experts consider the central repository as a breakthrough in healthcare provisioning.
Decentralizing care into the home is seen as worthwhile by a majority of industry decision makers
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/healthcare-to-homecare-fig3_rgb.jpg” thumb_width=”250″ /]The survey included:
- 4,500 advanced smartphone/mobile broadband users aged 18–69 were surveyed in February 2017 in Germany, Japan, South Korea, the UK and the US.
- 900 decision makers across 6 industries – healthcare, insurance, medical technology companies, telecom operators, app developers/aggregators and government regulatory bodies – in Germany, Japan, South Korea, the UK and the US.
- Qualitative research consisting of two consumer focus group discussions in the US and the UK, in-depth interviews with 6 post-operative care patients and 17 industry decision makers from 6 industries were conducted across Japan, South Korea, the UK and the US in August 2016.
Ericsson release. Healthcare to Homecare full study. Hat tip to our Eye on Tenders, Susanne Woodman of BRE.
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