The health emergency has turned the lives of each of us upside down and, above all, it has changed people’s perception of medical services. Healthcare organizations have had to adapt to new conditions and, according to a study by Kaspersky, 56% of them plan to increase their investment in solutions telemedecine And virtual assistance.
Kaspersky decided to interview healthcare industry decision makers to understand how digital transformation is progressing and to understand what issues will need to be addressed. The research focused on a sample of 389 healthcare providers from 36 countries: 89% of Italian health organizations (91% globally) have already implemented telehealth services and 50% (44% globally) started using them after the pandemic. At the same time, 25% of Italian respondents said they refused such services for fear of security risks.
Telehealth services are increasingly in demand by patients of all age groups
According to the Kaspersky report, 40% of Italian respondents (71% worldwide) are convinced that in the next 5 years telemedicine services will be fundamental in the field of health. In fact, nearly half of organizations (42% globally and 25% in Italy) believe the majority of their patients are more likely to visit remotely than in person. The possibility of saving time and money and choosing who to consult are the aspects that most influence the positive opinion of patients towards telemedicine.
In this regard, telemedicine services are increasingly demanded by patients of all age groups, especially by older people: indeed, only 38% (51% globally) of users of virtual formats are under 50 years old. As for the types of services, the most used are THE remote monitoring of patients via portable devices (41% worldwide versus 44% in Italy) and the synchronous telemedicine (51% worldwide versus 44% in Italy), i.e. real-time communication with patients (video calls or chats). There asynchronous telehealth technology (39% worldwide compared to 11% in Italy) is the most used among alternative services: in this case, patient data is collected on a cloud platform.
Despite the advantages offered by these technologiesTHE 75% of Italian respondents (74% globally) have encountered patients who refused to make a video call with medical staff. Specifically, there is a lack of trust in telehealth services (33% globally – 25% in Italy), a reluctance to appear on video (32% globally – 50% in Italy) and a concern about lack of adequate equipment (30% worldwide – 25% in Italy). Unfortunately, patients aren’t the only ones concerned about their privacy: THE 50% of healthcare professionals in Italy (81% globally) said doctors in their organization had expressed concerns about the protection of patient data and only 22% of respondents (36% globally) believe their organization has the necessary security measures in place.
Yevgeny NaumovaExecutive Vice President Corporate Business at Kaspersky, commented on these results: “Trust has always been a key driver for the healthcare industry. As more and more medical institutions today rely on technology and digital to support their services, patients demand that the confidentiality of their medical data be respected. This means that the level of trust within the industry is intrinsically linked to the ability of vendors to ensure the security of the sensitive information they collect, share and store. The rapid development of the healthcare industry and its growing complexity is making it more lucrative for bad actors, so there is a need for healthcare institutions to make cybersecurity their top priority. They must assess their current level of defense and wisely adopt the most appropriate solutions and tools. In this way, they can build a better future where distance or cybersecurity risks are not an obstacle and where everyone can receive high-quality medical care.“.
To view the full report, click here connections.