What are Canadians willing to trade for their healthcare data?
After more than two years of living under COVID-19 conditions, Canadians have grown accustomed to doing things a certain way.
When it comes to healthcare, they’ve gotten used to a number of services and want continued access after the pandemic ends, according to a report by the global professional services company Accenture.
“Because of the pandemic, Canadians have become increasingly comfortable with new channels of healthcare delivery,” said Jimmy Yang, managing director and health industry leader at Accenture in Canada. “Access and convenience is more important than it’s ever been before.”
Accenture’s new report, All In on Transforming Canadian Healthcare, found 80% of Canadians would like to see three services remain post-pandemic: online booking and scheduling, telehealth services, and health services in their community pharmacy.
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It also found 75% of Canadians would allow their healthcare provider to share their personal health information with a third party if it meant better care. In particular, Canadians would be most willing to open up access to their health data if the information was used to inform decisions on medication based on personal genetics.
Other reasons cited for allowing sharing of personal data included using the information to customize preventive care measures, and providing access to clinical trials for which the patient is eligible.
“These findings are important because they show Canadians have a greater focus on personalization of their healthcare,” said Yang.
Canadians have also become savvy about the value of their personal data as currency, with half willing to share their personal identifiable information in exchange for money or loyalty points.
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When it comes to private healthcare, over 70% of respondents said they are comfortable or neutral with the private sector playing a bigger role if this means improved services. When it comes to paying for these services, though, close to 65% said they would not pay for healthcare services typically covered by the government, unless absolutely necessary.
Most than half of Canadians would not pay a subscription or monthly fee to get access to healthcare services.
Accenture’s survey also found shifts in Canadians’ trust when it comes to healthcare. The country’s trust in healthcare providers–such as doctors, pharmacists and hospitals–increased by 13%. Majority of respondents, 66% to be precise, said they were comfortable receiving care from a pharmacy while 64% said they were comfortable receiving care from traditional healthcare providers such as doctors and nurse practitioners.
By comparison, public trust in governments and insurance companies eroded by 9% during the pandemic, according to the survey.
When it comes to trust in technology, Accenture found 83% of Canadians trust appointment and scheduling reminders from healthcare apps but they’re wary about artificial intelligence. Close to 55% said they would trust recommendations from AI-powered apps only if these were related to appointments and administrative matters rather than diagnosis or treatment.