COVID-19 study series: telehealth adoption

Welcome to UserTesting HITs, an ongoing series in which we share human insight trends (HITs) that we uncover from studies conducted by the UserTesting team. We hope you find these insights interesting and that they inspire you to conduct similar studies of your own!

The study

Telehealth usage is projected to grow by 80% in 2020. UserTesting spoke with US consumers to understand their perceptions, reservations, and feelings around getting care through telehealth.

Recommendations to telehealth providers

• Give extra guidance: Provide how-tos for setting up and participating in the appointment.
• Make appointments easy: Integrate with common tech platforms like Zoom and Google Calendar to increase ease of use and adoption.
• Share credentials: Make it easy for new patients to access provider reviews and credentials.
• Find new ways to get patient information remotely: Skeptical patients may be more likely to adopt if information like vitals can still be captured via the telehealth solution

Hear what patients had to say

You should make me confident that you will be able to get all of the information to make an accurate diagnosis without listening to my body sounds.

You are the future of doctor visits.

When having appointments from the convenience of your own home, this eliminates a lot of that uneasiness...there are no long waits in waiting rooms or long drives to the doctor’s office. The entire process is sped up.

I worry about the hands-on aspect or lack thereof in that the doctor may not be able to see everything through the camera that [they] would see in-person… I still have a fear that something may have been missed.

Benefits and challenges with telehealth services 

Benefits

• Convenience and comfort: Online scheduling, patients attend from the comfort of home
• Minimized risk of exposure: Avoid COVID or other communicable diseases
• More efficient: Faster care compared with office visits 

Challenges 

• Communication: Difficult without video
• Perceived quality of care: Shorter appointments, lack of physical exam
• Lack of personal connections: Traditional visits are more human
• Technical challenges: Trying to angle the camera for specific views
• Unfamiliar doctors: Some are uneasy with new providers

Key takeaways

• Patients value the human connection of video interactions.
• Telehealth services are easy to use, particularly when used with familiar technology (FaceTime, Zoom, etc.)
• Addressing patient concerns will help promote adoption.
• Greater telehealth adoption may result as people continue to stay home due to COVID-19.
• Patients are more likely to use telehealth for minor conditions or mental health, and less likely for more serious conditions or ones that require a thorough physical exam.

Share your insights with us! 

Have you conducted a similar study? Did these findings inspire you to run some experiments of your own? Insights are always best when shared, so share your biggest "a-ha" moments with us on Twitter with #RealHumanInsight.