Connected health - opportunity still knocks

Approximately 500 physicians per country (200 for Singapore) participated in the survey, which assessed doctors’ attitudes and perceptions on the benefits of health information and communications technology.

While the majority of doctors are convinced that ‘Connected Health’ brings benefits, a surprising amount are skeptical of the associated healthcare IT benefits. Research among more than 3,700 doctors in eight countries reveals ripe opportunities to accelerate a broad national Connected Health initiative, according to a new survey from Accenture.

The survey illuminates prevailing perceptions (based on demographics and geography) among doctors today over the future of Connected Health. While the survey illustrates similarities and differences in perceptions of healthcare IT, the findings clearly show that the broadest, fastest path to integrated, effective health practices requires outreach, education and changing mindsets among some doctors, especially those over 50 who are not actively using healthcare IT.

Connected Health is an approach to healthcare delivery that leverages the systematic application of healthcare IT to facilitate the accessing and sharing of information, as well as subsequent analysis of health data across healthcare systems. It is using knowledge and technology in new ways for more effective, efficient and affordable healthcare. The future of healthcare entails systems and infrastructures that enable information management, analysis and sharing – it is the engine of what Accenture calls Insight Driven Health.

Many doctors, however, remain unconvinced that healthcare technologies, such as electronic medical records (EMR) and health information exchanges (HIE), will improve patient outcomes, improve access to services or reduce unneeded procedures. Interestingly, these are the benefits most often touted for widespread adoption of EMR and HIE and, therefore, this disconnect creates barriers to fully realising the benefits of a truly Connected Health ecosystem.

The survey is one part of a comprehensive Connected Health study to be published this year which incorporates results from this doctor survey as well as input from interviews with more than 150 industry experts, and 10 case studies of successful Connected Health implementations.

It was surprising that a high percentage of doctors either did not know of or did not associate a positive impact on the use of EMR and HIE with some of the main selling points of a Connected Health system. Among the key findings almost half of doctors surveyed, 44 percent, are not convinced that healthcare IT will help reduce the number of unnecessary interventions and procedures.

Forty-three percent of doctors are not convinced that healthcare IT systems will result in increased speed of access to health services, and almost 40 percent are not convinced that the use of healthcare IT will bring improved outcomes for patients.

“The Accenture physician survey was designed to ask the question: ‘Are we making progress in Connected Health?’ And we now know that the answer is yes. Doctors are beginning to see the benefits of using healthcare IT solutions to improve integration of care delivery,” said Rick Ratliff, global lead, Accenture Connected Health Services. “The challenge is to encourage behavioral change across the healthcare system through education
and ongoing communication, helping physicians to embrace greater use of healthcare IT to demonstrate the value of Connected Health.”

Country comparison
There was strong similarity, however, in how doctors across all eight countries perceive the top benefits of healthcare IT, including better access to quality data for clinical research (70.9 percent), better coordination of care across care settings and service boundaries (69.1 percent)

Improved cross-organizational working processes (67.9 percent), and reduced medical errors (66 percent).

While some doctors do not yet see all the benefits – such as reducing unneeded procedures (43.6 percent reported either a negative impact, no impact or didn’t know), improving access to services (43 percent) or improving patient outcomes (39.2 percent) – those physicians who are routine users of healthcare IT rated the benefits more positively than their counterparts who are less actively involved with these technologies.

The age divide
There was a statistically significant contrast in attitudes among doctors over and under 50 years of age. The Accenture survey found that doctors under 50 are more likely to believe that healthcare IT has a positive impact across a wide range of perceived benefits, including improved health outcomes for patients, increased speed of access to health services and reductions in medical errors. More than 72 percent of doctors under 50 think EMR and HIE will improve care coordination across settings and service boundaries. And, 73 percent believe these technologies will offer better access to quality data for clinical research. These numbers vary, however, for doctors over 50 – only 65 percent and 68 percent respectively perceive the same benefits.

The age disparity may have to do with the reluctance that older doctors have with using information technology during patient interactions. Many younger doctors may be accustomed to typing while talking to a patient, whereas older doctors may prefer a conversation with a patient that does not introduce the unnatural element of technology.

Frequent users 'believe'
The survey asked physicians about the extent to which they used 12 different ‘functions’ of EMR and HIE – such as electronic entry of patient notes, electronic referrals to or from other physicians, electronic ordering, electronic prescribing and communicating with other physicians or patients via secure email. The results showed that physicians who are routine users of a wider range of healthcare IT functions have a more positive attitude toward the benefits these technologies bring. The survey shows that, on average across all the countries, as physicians start to use more ‘functions’ – the more positive they are about the benefits.

Bridging the disconnect
Despite all eight countries being at a relatively early stage of the Connected Health journey, there is evidence that doctors truly desire change. These findings clearly signal ways that governments and healthcare organizations can speed progress toward Connected Health. There is work ahead to fully convince physicians that healthcare IT will ensure better patient care, lower healthcare costs and make them more effective and efficient.

Building organisational development and change management capabilities are crucial steps for success to help convince the majority of doctors of the value of healthcare IT, and thus drive its progress. Strategic change management is among the six dynamics that must be fully executed for a country to realise the full benefits of Connected Health. The soon-to-be-released study will explore all six of these dynamics in detail.

Clinician involvement – especially among doctors – is also a central theme of those organizations and systems that are succeeding in the development of Connected Health. This is more than simple communication. It requires doctors’ active involvement in planning change and guiding its implementation with their peers and colleagues.

Change must be manageable. Where top- down, whole-system re-engineering has been attempted at a national level, there have been as many failures as successes. When policymakers and health leaders have identified achievable targets and tangible, medium-term outcomes, rapid progress is possible.

For more information
Accenture will release its comprehensive, eight-country Accenture Connected Health Study in 2012, including international research drawing on case studies, interviews with global health leaders and more details of this quantitative survey of doctors.