Patients are now more comfortable with the intersection of computers and healthcare, as evidenced by their usage of platforms such as PatientsLikeMe, consultancy firm McKinsey says in a report concerning international views on digital health.
With patients at ease using technology for healthcare needs, it's time for the healthcare sector to go “all in” and eventually build “fully integrated healthcare IT systems,” according to the report.
It's the simple things, McKinsey thinks, that healthcare systems need to offer their patients. “Across the globe, most people want the same thing: Assistance with routine tasks and navigating the often-complex healthcare system,” with the most wished-for feature being “finding and scheduling physician appointments.”
Running close behind, apparently, was “support for repetitive administrative tasks such as prescription refills.”
It's for that reason that McKinsey recommends against “going big” and trying to build every feature at once; instead, organizations can get “quick wins” and build from there. That “continuously increases the familiarity of their users with their services—and in turn the intensity with which they use them,” the report concludes.
Follow Darius Tahir on Twitter: @dariustahir
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