Physicians Outline Four Most Important Digital Health Needs

A recent survey of U.S. physicians on the use of digital technologies in care delivery reveals that while doctors are enthusiastic about what the medical technology industry will offer, they have questions about whether it will meet their biggest needs.

The Deloitte 2020 Survey of U.S. Physicians was conducted earlier this year and the findings present perspectives of nearly 700 clinicians on novel digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and automation.

Deloitte researchers noted that for years, medical technology innovation held the promise of transforming care delivery, through minimally invasive procedures, remote diagnostics and patient monitoring, and new mechanisms of increasing patient engagement and physician interactions, to name a few. But adoption of virtual health was tepid until the COVID-19 pandemic finally broke down many of the barriers. The rapid rollout of virtual health in response to the outbreak offers some useful lessons on the physician adoption of digital technologies, they stated.

As such, the research found that physicians are bullish about what the med-tech industry will offer but have questions about whether it will meet their biggest needs, which include:

• Interoperability: 84 percent of physicians anticipate secure and efficient sharing of patient data and 83 percent believe that patient-generated data will be integrated into care delivery in the next five to 10 years.
• Optimized workflow: 61 percent of physicians said their greatest need today is improving routine processes in the clinical practice.
• Intelligent augmentation: 64 percent of physicians anticipate AI will help predict and diagnose diseases as well as prevent acute events and 54 percent expect routine medical images will be read and interpreted by machines.
• Data security and integrity: Physicians are open to technology adoption but have questions about safety and security. Sixty-nine percent of physicians wanted to know who is liable when a medical error occurs in connection with using technology for care and 47 percent wondered about vulnerability to cyberattacks.

What’s more, the survey asked respondents to specify which market trends will have the greatest impact on care delivery in the coming years. The top three trends in their views are:

• New payment models: 64 percent of physicians recognize changes in payment models as powerful drivers of care delivery transformation.
• Care team evolution: 41 percent of physicians expect advanced practitioners (nurse practitioners, physician assistants) and care managers to assume more meaningful roles as integral members of the care team. Advances in medical technologies offer them the opportunity to drive major changes in care delivery.
• Advances in information technology: 41 percent of physicians also expect the standard practice of care delivery to change in the future as a result of cloud computing, predictive analytics, AI, interoperability, and 5G/better connectivity. In fact, 50 percent of physicians surveyed expect a “great deal of change” or more in their specialty in the next 10 years. Even more expect to see interoperability (84 percent) and patient-generated data integrated with care delivery (83 percent) in the next five to 10 years. Meanwhile, new information technologies and intelligent augmentation can help improve daily workflow and contribute to the quality and safety of care.

Notably, the survey, which was conducted just before the COVID-19 pandemic, showed that almost 90 percent of the time, conditions that physicians deemed to be essential to adopting virtual health technologies were absent in their practices. Since then, many barriers such as consumer demand, licensing and credentialing requirements, and payment have been removed, and useful lessons on physician adoption of digital technologies more broadly have come to light.

The Deloitte researchers concluded, “Physicians expect the use of digital technologies in care delivery to increase in the coming years. The med-tech industry has a great opportunity to tailor their products based on their needs and accelerate their adoption.” They further noted, “While scientific innovation is paramount, med-tech manufacturers should consider other factors such as interoperability, workflow efficiency, and data security—which are key concerns for their customers—when designing new products. As healthcare continues to shift out of acute settings, manufacturers should bear in mind the lessons learned from rapid technology adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as physician concerns about liability, as demands for connected systems are being met and built.”