'health information needs' in Social Health on line

How often do consumers use digital health tools? This graph will show you | Social Health on line | Scoop.it

From medcitynews.com - August 15, 2014 4:23 AM

A chart by Parks Associates followed up an infographic on consumer's use of digital health tools this week with a chart showing how frequently they used them in the past year.

As the use of digital health tools continues to become common practice in people’s lives, it’s always useful to quantify that. An infographic released this week(displayed below) showed that 60 percent of households have some sort of digital health device — such as a digital scale or glucometer. Although 25 percent used digital health apps, only 27 percent used their healthcare provider or insurer’s website. That seems like a low number to me, especially when you consider the push by payers and providers to improve patient engagement on multiple levels.

Thanks to a request from Matthew Holt of Health 2.0, market research business Parks Associates did a drill down to add more context on how frequently people look up health information online and how often they used a device to track their health patterns.

The point was to add some more color beyond the original survey’s finding that 38 percent looked up health information online or through an app. That seemed a little low considering Pew Research has said that 72 percent of Internet users looked up health information in the past year. Parks decided that the actual amount is probably higher than 38 percent but was influenced by the way the question was asked.

The graph also serves as a useful reminder that the growth of digital health in everyday life is likely to be in small steps. The most frequent use of digital health tools seems to average out at three times a month. It’s encouraging that the use of apps to manage a health condition tops the list since it demonstrates the most engagement. It’s also interesting to see the frequency of telehealth interactions with healthcare professionals.

Since Parks Associates is open to requests, I’d like to see a comparison chart next year to see how 2014 numbers stack up.

I’ve included the original infographic here. [ See also here ]

Google Helpouts will bring telehealth to the masses | Social Health on line | Scoop.it

From www.kevinmd.com - November 7, 2013 10:14 AM

With Google providing reducing the friction to remotely connect with a provider, Google Helpouts may be the event that brings telehealth to the masses.

Google Answers closed in 2006, but recently, version 2.0 of Google Answers was announced: Google Helpouts.

This is essentially a video question and answer platform, where for a flat or hourly fee, people can ask questions to be answered by those Google hand-selects and runs background checks on.

Health care is an obvious target, as Helpouts make it a point to mention that its video interchanges are HIPAA-compliant. Google also waives its 20% cut of the fee for health questions.

Already, a company called One Medical has a prominent presence on Google Helpouts. Many others are sure to follow.

There is a tremendous demand for telehealth services, driven by provider shortages in the clinic, as well as people’s own busy schedules. And frankly, some of what I see in the clinic doesn’t necessarily need to be seen in person. For established patients, for instance, whom I need to monitor their blood pressure. A remote option to monitor these patients would be ideal, both for me by clearing my schedule, and for the patient. ..

Sure, there are risks. Prescribing drugs, dispensing medical advice over state lines, interacting with new patients, and complicated mental health scenarios come to mind. Let’s see how the health industry overcomes these obstacles.

How often do consumers use digital health tools? This graph will show you

Google Helpouts will bring telehealth to the masses