While the pandemic is accelerating the deployment of telemedicine services, patients are still struggling to fully embrace it. This new method of consultation raises questions of personal data in particular.
92% of European medical organizations already have telemedicine services. Telemedicine platforms that connect patients and doctors are on the rise, and 44% of medical service providers (66% in the case of France) have started using telemedicine services since the start of the pandemic of coronavirus. This is what emerges from a study carried out by Kaspersky with 99 service providers from 12 European countries. But the digital transformation of health is still the object of reluctance.
Telehealth, a trend that has started to be sustainable
Between travel restrictions and the difficulty of welcoming the public, the world of medicine has evolved over the past two years. And the practices go in this direction. Today, 56% of health organizations plan to increase their investments in telemedicine and remote care. It must be said that in Europe, and more particularly in France, we are seeing a real rise in digital platforms such as Doctolib, Maiia, HelloCare or Doctisia.
These platforms, some of which are endorsed by the government and facilitate the vaccination against COVID-19 of the French while allowing remote consultations, are experiencing significant growth. Telemedicine has accelerated more since the start of the pandemic than in the previous ten years.
And teleconsultation has obviously not seen its best hours yet, according to professionals. 65% of European officials believe that it is over the next five years that telemedicine will bring its greatest added value to the sector.
Between advantages and fears around the exposure of health data, necessarily sensitive
Telehealth has many advantages: availability that can be immediate, a reduction in the risk of patient-nursing staff contamination, time savings, an alternative to medical deserts or even access to physicians who are physically inaccessible. However, many European citizens are still finding it difficult to get used to these 2.0 consultations. We note that only 40.5% of organizations admit that most of their patients find teleconsultation more practical than physical consultation. In France, they are even less numerous (33%) to relay this feeling.
Despite everything, the global health situation is shaking up the established order, and “elderly” patients are even more inclined to be tempted by new technologies. Only 48% of European organizations indicate, for example, that the majority of their teleconsultation patients are under 50 years old.
But there is still the barrier of the security of sensitive data, mentioned by 43% of health professionals, who have already encountered reluctance to telemedicine for this reason. And patients are not the only ones to bring up this problem. 76% of organizations indicate that staff members are concerned about the protection of patient data during teleconsultations.
Mistrust of the practice is also mentioned (for 19% of professionals), as is the refusal to appear on video (28%). ” Trust is one of the pillars of the medical sector », Recalls Evgeniya Naumova of Kaspersky. ” Now is the time for healthcare players to put cybersecurity at the top of their priorities. They have every interest in evaluating the current state of their defenses in order to adopt the most relevant solution and tools. They will thus help create a future where distance and fear of piracy will no longer be obstacles, a world where everyone has the right to quality medical care. “
Like many French people, you are certainly looking for a third dose of the vaccine.
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Source: Kaspersky study
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