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‘Only 36% of the Silent Generation plans to stay isolated once
restrictions are lifted, but Boomers (59%), Gen Xers (56%),
Millennials (56%), and Gen Zers (54%) are more cautious.
Focus on Patient Experience 2020
The Opportunity to Reimagine the Patient
Experience During COVID
Many of the ways patients engage with healthcare have changed due to the pandemic, but even if it hasn’t always been for the better, it has opened the door to finding new ways to improve the patient
experience now and in the future.
COVID-19 has changed what it means to be a patient. With such a highly contagious disease, everyone is forced to change their lifestyles and socially distance from others to avoid the virus. Unsurprisingly, the average consumer is ready for it to end. In a report from CMI/Compas, “What Consumers Want and Need from Pharma—Engagement, Preference, & Need in the Wake of COVID-19 Recovery,” 68% of 800 U.S. consumers can’t wait for social isolation/social distancing to be completely over.
That is especially true of the Silent Generation with 79% itching for restrictions to lift and only 36% planning to remain isolated once they are. Members of other generations are more cautious with over half of Boomers (59%), Gen Xers (56%), Millennials (56%), and Gen Zers (54%), intending to remain isolated even after restrictions are relaxed. When it comes to healthcare, all generations are mostly comfortable seeing a doctor in-person today
if needed, but half of Millennials
By Andrew Matthius
are willing to delay treatment if possible—only 35% of Boomers and 32% of the Silent Generation feel the same.
Even though people can’t wait for
all of this to end, respondents don’t agree on when we might see life as we know it again. In fact, 18% don’t think we will ever “return to normal,” and the largest plurality of only 24% said it will take two to three months once restrictions are relaxed.
What does all of this mean for the patient experience moving forward?
Is Telehealth the Solution?
During the peak of the pandemic
in March we saw a 400% increase in the number of telehealth visits, according to the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science. Many believe telehealth is now and will continue to be an essential part of the overall patient experience.
“It will no longer be ‘live visit’ vs. ‘telehealth appointment’ but an integration that will forever change
the healthcare workflow,” says Susan Manber, Chief Patient Officer, Publicis Health. “Telemedicine will be used for triage, and in some cases diagnosis. It’s important for pharma companies to work with payers to ensure telehealth coverage and work with patients to help them prepare and get the most out of a telehealth visit.”
However, not all patients seem thrilled with this change. In the CMI/Compas report, only 35% of respondents have used telemedicine, and of those who haven’t only 31% said they intend to in the future. But research from Health Union, based on a series of COVID-specific surveys with people living with chronic health conditions, shows opinions may change once patients use it.
“Our research suggested that once people experienced telehealth— potentially overcoming technology issues and realizing the benefits— they were more comfortable at the prospect of using it for routine care in the future,” explains Lauren Lawhon,
pm360 magazine / September 2020