Patients' readiness for digital communication and demand for transferring medical services to a remote format

Objective: to assess the readiness of patients for online communication with a medical professional and the demand for medical care in a remote format. Material and methods. 507 patients were interviewed using a questionnaire developed by the author. The questionnaire allows you to obtain data on the respondent's experience in using online communications with a doctor, the respondent's readiness for "digital" visits, the impact of Internet resources on the patient's trust in the recommendations of the attending physician. Results. 30.6±2.1 % of patients use online communications when interacting with their doctor, 40.5%±2.2% would like to have this opportunity. There was a difference in readiness for digital communications between groups of respondents interested in pediatric specialists (parents of children attending children's clinics) and groups of Central District Hospital patients and patients of urban hospitals (p<0.001). The influence of age on patients' readiness for online communication has been confirmed. The most in demand in the remote format were referral services (for tests, hospitalization), especially in the parent group. The study of patients' behavior in relation to the search for a "second opinion" on the Internet showed that most of the respondents are currently not inclined to double-check their doctor's appointments, and the absolute majority of respondents (82.8±1.7%) trust their treating real doctor, and not Internet advice. Conclusion. The results of the study indicate the readiness of the population to introduce digital communications and transfer part of medical care to the digital field, the most in demand were services for registration of referrals to hospitalization, to narrow specialists, tests, prescriptions for medicines that the patient receives on a regular basis.