4 insights on patients' top concerns, how they use health tech

Megan Knowles -

Patients are increasingly looking for ways to boost their mental health and well-being — and want more flexibility in accessing resources that help them reach health goals, a recent survey conducted by Aetna found. 

As part of its inaugural "Health Ambitions Study," Aetna gathered 1,000 responses from consumers 18 and older in December 2017. 

Here are four insights on patients' top concerns and how they are using healthcare technology:

1. Younger consumers turn to digital health tools more often than older consumers to communicate with their physicians. About one-third (32 percent) of respondents ages 18 to 34 said virtual office visits would be valuable, compared to 17 percent of patients over age 65.

2. Some of patients' top concerns included privacy, data security and health costs, the survey found. Respondents rated privacy (80 percent), data security (76 percent) and the cost of care (73 percent) as very important aspects of their healthcare experience.

3. Half of women said they are very likely to take their physicians' recommendations, compared to 61 percent of men. The survey also found fewer women think their physicians understand their health needs — 70 percent of women said their physicians are aware of their lifestyle habits, compared to 81 percent of men.

4. The majority of respondents said they find it very important that their physicians speak in a way they can easily understand (77 percent) and offer access to healthcare professionals to coordinate care (59 percent).

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