Gone are the days when one had to leave the comfort of their house and pay a visit to a doctor to get their blood pressure tested. Thanks to technology,in today’s time, a touch is quite literally the only distance between ourselves and countless possibilities. So much so that the blood pressure check-up that you stepped out for can be done in a few seconds through your smart device.
Think about it for yourself, the last time you had a flu or a sprain, did your solution come through a doctor or a google search? In fact, even at times when we feel the need to go to a doctor, we end up searching about them online. So when did technology and the internet start playing such a huge role in our decision making towards our daily health concerns? Millennials have changed our traditional approaches to everyday problems and our way of dealing with health care especially.
According to a Sales force report evaluating the generational healthcare preferences of Americans, millennials are more likely than older generations to forgo regular visits to a general care physician, likely due to the high cost of healthcare and the fact that many millennials have yet to develop some of the pressing health concerns that affect older age groups. The survey also found that millennials are more interested in using digital health tools than other generations, including an openness to video calling with doctors and accessing health devices through tools like 3D printers. It was also noted in the study that-
• 76% of millennial Americans value online reviews when choosing a doctor
• 71% of millennials would like to engage with their health care provider through a mobile app, according to the same survey
In general, millennials are comfortable using technology to improve their healthcare experience, and they view the web as an important resource when facing a health crisis. From reading online reviews before choosing a doctor to consulting online diagnosis tools, the internet shapes many of the healthcare decisions for people in this age group.
The surge in the usage of search engines and websites that provide us with umpteen amounts of information on various conditions and day to day health related problems, is a result of the fact that millennials see it as a more comfortable way of dealing with problems on the go. Millennials also prefer to contact doctors over video calls and messages over going to meet them physically. This shift from the baby boomers approach to that of the millennials has created an entire new market of online presence of both- information as well as doctors on the internet.
These services are free, convenient, and widely accessible, unlike a trip to the physician, and they can be hugely informative when used appropriately. However what also comes along is the fact that millennials are particularly prone to misusing online diagnosis tools: 37% of millennials reported self-diagnosing health issues they don’t have, compared to 24% of baby boomers and 26% of Gen X-ers. What’s more, 44% of millennials reported worrying about their health after looking up health information online.
Another industry that bloomed out of the nature of the millennials is the industry of health applications. Whether it’s a phone or a watch, every device now offers facilities like calorie or step count, heart rate, blood pressure and the list is endless.
For millennials, wellness is a daily, active pursuit. They’re exercising more, eating smarter and smoking less than previous generations. They’re using apps to track training data, and online information to find the healthiest foods. And this is one space where they’re willing to spend money more on, hence the focus towards building more health focused applications and devices that can be integrated in daily life. According to a recent study, 66% of college students now regularly monitor their calorie intake, while 69% monitor their sugar intake. What’s more, now 50% want as much quantifiable data about their health as possible. This new, heightened interest explains in part why millennials are so attracted to technologies that allow them to access detailed information about their own health.
To quantify it all, mobile health apps are expected to exceed $3Billion in global sales by 2019, there are also over 100,000 apps on Google Play and Apple’s iOS app store, a quantity that’s doubled in just 2.5 years.
Despite the ever-growing market of health apps and devices, evidence that proves the working the effectiveness of health apps themselves seems to lack. The next few decades will witness a collaboration by both e-service providers, health care policy makers, hospitals and specialists to forge new standards within which safe, effective and reputable mobile health technologies can be fostered.
The integration of technology and internet with healthcare is here to stay and will just grow in the times to come. However that being stated it’s important that medical institutions lay down guidelines and also review the apps and devices being widely used today, to ensure that they are credible.
Think about it for yourself, the last time you had a flu or a sprain, did your solution come through a doctor or a google search? In fact, even at times when we feel the need to go to a doctor, we end up searching about them online. So when did technology and the internet start playing such a huge role in our decision making towards our daily health concerns? Millennials have changed our traditional approaches to everyday problems and our way of dealing with health care especially.
According to a Sales force report evaluating the generational healthcare preferences of Americans, millennials are more likely than older generations to forgo regular visits to a general care physician, likely due to the high cost of healthcare and the fact that many millennials have yet to develop some of the pressing health concerns that affect older age groups. The survey also found that millennials are more interested in using digital health tools than other generations, including an openness to video calling with doctors and accessing health devices through tools like 3D printers. It was also noted in the study that-
• 76% of millennial Americans value online reviews when choosing a doctor
• 71% of millennials would like to engage with their health care provider through a mobile app, according to the same survey
In general, millennials are comfortable using technology to improve their healthcare experience, and they view the web as an important resource when facing a health crisis. From reading online reviews before choosing a doctor to consulting online diagnosis tools, the internet shapes many of the healthcare decisions for people in this age group.
The surge in the usage of search engines and websites that provide us with umpteen amounts of information on various conditions and day to day health related problems, is a result of the fact that millennials see it as a more comfortable way of dealing with problems on the go. Millennials also prefer to contact doctors over video calls and messages over going to meet them physically. This shift from the baby boomers approach to that of the millennials has created an entire new market of online presence of both- information as well as doctors on the internet.
These services are free, convenient, and widely accessible, unlike a trip to the physician, and they can be hugely informative when used appropriately. However what also comes along is the fact that millennials are particularly prone to misusing online diagnosis tools: 37% of millennials reported self-diagnosing health issues they don’t have, compared to 24% of baby boomers and 26% of Gen X-ers. What’s more, 44% of millennials reported worrying about their health after looking up health information online.
Another industry that bloomed out of the nature of the millennials is the industry of health applications. Whether it’s a phone or a watch, every device now offers facilities like calorie or step count, heart rate, blood pressure and the list is endless.
For millennials, wellness is a daily, active pursuit. They’re exercising more, eating smarter and smoking less than previous generations. They’re using apps to track training data, and online information to find the healthiest foods. And this is one space where they’re willing to spend money more on, hence the focus towards building more health focused applications and devices that can be integrated in daily life. According to a recent study, 66% of college students now regularly monitor their calorie intake, while 69% monitor their sugar intake. What’s more, now 50% want as much quantifiable data about their health as possible. This new, heightened interest explains in part why millennials are so attracted to technologies that allow them to access detailed information about their own health.
To quantify it all, mobile health apps are expected to exceed $3Billion in global sales by 2019, there are also over 100,000 apps on Google Play and Apple’s iOS app store, a quantity that’s doubled in just 2.5 years.
Despite the ever-growing market of health apps and devices, evidence that proves the working the effectiveness of health apps themselves seems to lack. The next few decades will witness a collaboration by both e-service providers, health care policy makers, hospitals and specialists to forge new standards within which safe, effective and reputable mobile health technologies can be fostered.
The integration of technology and internet with healthcare is here to stay and will just grow in the times to come. However that being stated it’s important that medical institutions lay down guidelines and also review the apps and devices being widely used today, to ensure that they are credible.
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