Background & Aim:
This study aims to understand the attitudes and behaviours of physicians in incorporating digital technology into their daily clinical practice currently and in the future.
Method:
N=50 GPs were surveyed between November 2019 and January 2020 on their perspectives and usage of telemedicine and connected health via an online questionnaire.
Results:
GPs stated high overall awareness of telemedicine (96%), remote patient monitoring (92%) but lower awareness of digital therapeutics (38%). 48% of GPs stated that they have never personally used telemedicine to treat patients. 60% of GPs agree that remote patient consultations are the future, and 58% believe that new digital platforms will eventually replace sales representatives, however, discussions with colleagues and peers (97%) and conference attendance (94%) still remain the main sources of information driving clinical decision making. Approximately 90% of GPs cited connected health devices and tools will form part of their treatment plans in the future. 84% of GPs currently use connected health devices or tools in their professional lives, mainly for medical education/training (69%), health record maintenance (52%) and patient monitoring (24%). Concerns of using connected health devices are high amongst GPs, with the highest concern being patients potentially misinterpreting the data and advice given. Interestingly, 42% of GPs surveyed acknowledged that disease/compliance monitoring apps will become a pre-requisite for reimbursement.
Conclusion:
Awareness of digital healthcare solutions is relatively high among Australian physicians. Telemedicine use could become mainstream with digital solutions becoming increasingly important in remote patient care and compliance. However, concerns with patients’ interpretation of the data and its reliability still needs to be addressed.