- Many Saxons want to use digital health services
Digital health services offered by doctors' practices and health insurance companies are gaining increasing interest in Saxony. According to a recent Forsa survey commissioned by Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), 79 percent of respondents would make use of home visits by medical professionals with video support from a doctor. Three-quarters (76 percent) would also use online appointment scheduling. "Digitalization offers immense potential to optimize our healthcare system," said Alexander Krauß, head of TK in Saxony. "Online appointments and video consultations could relieve both doctors' practices and patients."
Klaus Heckemann, chairman of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in Saxony (KVS), agrees: "Online appointment scheduling is a digital service that benefits patients, allowing them to conveniently and flexibly schedule appointments, regardless of practice hours and phone lines. It also eases the workflow and capacity in practices." However, not all practices can offer this service due to technical reasons. Factors such as software compatibility or data protection measures can hinder the smooth use of an appointment scheduling tool.
"Our conclusion is that a well-implemented and functioning digitalization as a supplement to direct patient contact can ease practice workflows and create more time for patient care," said Heckemann.
Telemedicine has seen a sharp increase due to Corona. In Saxony, doctors have been able to offer video consultations to their patients since 2019. According to KVS, there were only around 200 video consultations statewide in the first year. In 2020, this number rose to nearly 54,000, and in 2023, 56,000 video consultations were conducted. According to the Forsa survey, almost half (52 percent) of respondents in Saxony would use consultations where they communicate with the doctor via screen and microphone. Men (58 percent) prefer this telemedical treatment method more than women (47 percent).
"Especially in less populated regions, this digital service could become a permanent and useful supplement to medical care," emphasized Krauß. However, the survey results show that more respondents in the major cities of Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz, and Zwickau (64 percent) voted for video consultations than in cities with fewer than 70,000 inhabitants (46 percent).
Younger people are more open to using apps. 46 percent of respondents could imagine using apps to treat symptoms. Especially younger people are more open to digital applications, with 63 percent of respondents aged 18 to 39 using health apps, compared to 33 percent of those aged 60 and above.
The representative telephone survey was conducted by the market research institute Forsa in June 2022, with 1,002 respondents aged 18 and above.
Patients can conveniently schedule their appointments online, utilizing the online appointment scheduling feature, as mentioned by Klaus Heckemann. Moreover, the survey reveals that three-quarters of the respondents are open to using this digital service.
Telemedicine, such as video consultations, has significantly increased in Saxony, with nearly 56,000 video consultations conducted in 2023, as highlighted by Alexander Krauß.
