A report issued by Deloitte has found that 70 percent of US citizens believe that wearables have improved their health and fitness. As a result of the pandemic, wearables saw a major surge in innovation and use amongst the American people. Deloitte launched the report in order to investigate consumer’s attitudes towards digital health, particularly wearable devices.
The survey was conducted by Deloitte’s Center for Technology, Media and Telecommunications and consisted of 2,005 consumers in the first quarter of this year. The information collected by the survey was then compared with the latest US census to gain an accurate representation of the US population. Questions issued to consumers related to areas such as connectivity, devices, virtual experiences, wearables, and challenges to digital aspects of the consumer’s life.
Nearly half of those surveyed attended at least one virtual visit, according to the survey’s finding. Healthcare consumers responded very positively to telehealth. As approximately 90 percent of repsonsidentant said to have been somewhat satisfied with their telehealth experience. The top advantages included lower chance of COVID-19 infection and increased access to care. However, respondents noted several obstacles from telehealth such as lack of human interaction and connectivity problems. The survey also found that approximately 23 percent of respondents would continue to utilize telehealth as their primary care method for chronic treatment check-ups.
The pandemic saw a surge in consumer use of wearables to monitor their health and fitness. Roughly 40 percent of the respondents said to possess a smartwatch or fitness tracker. Respondents used these devices to monitor weight loss, count daily steps, record workout data, and for fitness motivation. 7 in 10 of wearables users confirm that the devices have improved their health and wellbeing, along with 3 in 10 experiencing significant improvements to their health and fitness. Furthermore, device makers have improved communications between patient and physician as approximately 55 percent of users share their device data with their healthcare provider.
Despite this, there are still legitimate concerns regarding the safety and security of user data. 4 in 10 respondents have worries about security data breaches where hackers may gain control of devices or track a user’s location. In order for wearable use to continue to increase, developers must ensure the concerns of consumers are addressed.
