Nearly Half of Broadband Households Own a Connected Health Device, Says Parks

Some 46 percent of U.S. broadband households own a connected health device, such as a digital pedometer, smart watch or a digital weight scale, blogged Parks Associates Monday. "Eighty percent of U.S. broadband households report at least one health management challenge with which they would like help," said analyst Jennifer Kent, saying connected technologies can be part of the solution. Parks also said six in 10 U.S. broadband households are interested in remotely interacting with medical professionals under certain circumstances, but they would strongly favor ways that provide real-time communication. Some 40 percent of survey respondents are interested in communicating digitally with medical professionals via phone or online voice chat, a third are interested in online video chat, and a third are interested in communicating via secure email, said the researcher. “Virtual care can save costs, increase independent living options, and expand healthcare to remote and rural areas,” said Parks analyst Kristen Hanich, but consumers are concerned about trading off direct interaction with their doctors. Over 70 percent of consumers interested in real-time communication with a medical professional said 15 minutes should be the maximum wait time ahead of an online video chat or phone call, and of that group, 90 percent consider a visit lasting less than 30 minutes to be reasonable, she said.