Younger adults prioritize convenience of healthcare services more than older adults.

But this doesn't necessarily mean they'll rely on telemedicine, even though it's seemingly more accessible than in-person doctor visits.

Insider Intelligence publishes hundreds of insights, charts, and forecasts on the Digital Health industry with the Digital Health Briefing. For a limited time, you can try the Briefing for a full week for just $1!

Nearly three-quarters (71%) of US adults say they'd be willing to use telehealth post-pandemic, according to a new HIMSS poll—and the researchers involved in the survey posit that young consumers' desire for convenience will drive continued adoption post-pandemic. While older adults said they place trust at the top of their priority lists for healthcare providers, millennials and Gen Zers are more likely to put convenience and accessibility first, per the survey.

Younger adults won't be the force needed to sustain telehealth adoption. Insider Intelligence

While HIMSS researchers say younger cohorts will drive telehealth's staying power, it's doubtful they'll be the force that sustains telemedicine use after the pandemic.

Thus far, older adults have disproportionately used virtual care. Thirty-six percent of adults 55 and up had tried telemedicine as of August, compared with only 9% of 18–24 year-olds, per CivicScience. That's partially because younger patients generally have far fewer interactions with the healthcare system than seniors. But it also shows that seniors are comfortable using the tech, while younger adults aren't growing accustomed to it.

Thirty-six percent of adults 55 and up had tried telemedicine as of August, compared with only 9% of 18–24 year-olds, CivicScience. That's partially because younger patients generally have far interactions with the healthcare system than seniors. But it also shows that seniors are comfortable using the tech, while younger adults aren't growing accustomed to it. So, even if younger adults enjoy convenient care services, it's clear they're not the ones fueling spikes in use amid the pandemic. Once coronavirus outbreaks dissipate on a large scale and patients more readily leave their homes, it seems more likely that seniors will be the ones driving telemedicine's endurance by taking a hybrid approach, seeking out telemedicine when an in-person visit is not deemed necessary.

Millennials and Gen Zers are more likely to seek out the convenience and accessibility of brick-and-mortar retail clinics. Before the pandemic, there were signs that younger generations were eschewing traditional primary care in favor of retail options: Far fewer millennials had a primary care physician than older adults in 2019, and almost half (47%) of millennials had opted for care from a retail clinic over traditional or virtual care, per a 2019 Accenture survey.

And they have ample options to choose from, considering retail pharmacy giants have been doubling down on their in-house clinics: In July, Walgreens committed to spending $1 billion over the next three years to its VillageMD clinics, and CVS has pressed go on converting a large portion of its stores into designated Health Hubs. Because these pharmacies have enormous footprints spanning the US, they serve as very accessible options for convenience-hungry consumers—and they should prove to be younger consumers' go-tos for care post-pandemic.

Want to read more stories like this one? Here's how you can gain access:

Join other Insider Intelligence clients who receive this Briefing, along with other Digital Health forecasts, briefings, charts, and research reports to their inboxes each day. >> Become a Client Explore related topics more in depth. >> Browse Our Coverage

Current subscribers can access the entire Insider Intelligence content archive here.

Source: Business Insider

Powered by NewsAPI.org