90 percent of adults in the UK stated they have never used mHealth services, according to new research by legal firm Pintsent Masons and YouGov. Despite the examples given including established applications such as fitness apps, the survey found that prior to being given a definition of mHealth, an overwhelming 73 percent did not even know what the term meant, PMLiVE reports.
The findings are based on an online survey of over 2,000 adults in the UK highlighting a lack of consumer understanding of mhealth as a major barrier to the adoption of mobile health technology & services.
Retirees Most Resistant to mHealth Services
Insights from the survey also found that retirees were among the most resistant to mhealth services, despite being most likely to benefit from mhealth technology and services. Only 16 percent of retirees would be willing to use mhealth services to have their health monitored remotely compared to 29 percent of adults who worked full time. When asked if they felt mhealth services could make their lives easier, only 14 percent agreed compared to 33 percent of adults who worked full.
Other key findings include:
- 31 percent of respondents agreed mHealth services could improve the NHS
- 50 percent of respondents would be willing to use a mobile health application to book medical appointments
- 62 percent of respondents suggested they were unconcerned about the privacy of their medical data.
- More than 1 in 3 (38 percent) of respondents advocating having stricter controls over their data than are currently available.
- 33 percent of respondents would be willing to use mHealth services to have their health monitored remotely.
Featured image credit: Jason Howie
