What do Health Consumers Want in a Post-COVID World?

The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a new era for health consumers. They are more proactive, more digitally inclined, and willing to explore more when it comes to their health. With the pandemic still raging on, even after more than a year since its outbreak, the needs and behaviours of health consumers are continually evolving. Although current vaccination campaigns offer a glimmer of hope for some things to return to normal (at least to a certain extent), healthcare providers do not expect health consumers’ needs and behaviours to revert back to the pre-2020 ways.

Let’s use our imaginations to conjure a post-COVID world. Mask-wearing and hand sanitizer use are now “don’t-think-twice” behaviours. You’ll need a passport and vaccination booklet to travel. Remote working is the new normal. So here’s the burning question for all healthcare providers — what do health consumers want in a post-COVID world? These post-COVID needs can broadly fall under three umbrellas: prevention, personalization, and flexibility.

Prevention — “I want to take charge of my health before it’s too late”

The age-old saying “prevention is better than cure” did not ring more true than during the COVID-19 pandemic. But there was (and still is) no cure for the SARS-CoV-2 infection, so prevention was the only way to avoid the grips of this deadly respiratory infection. Lockdown-associated anxiety and uncertainty moulded the “engaged health consumer”. They were now more worried about their health than ever and wanted to take a proactive role in looking after themselves.

It is then that health consumers realized that so much is in their own hands. With the onslaught of messages about “keeping your immune system strong” that they were exposed to, health consumers adopted various COVID-19 preventive behaviours, such as taking vitamin supplements. During early stages of the pandemic, a survey by Deloitte among over 1,500 adult respondents found that about 68% said they were concerned about their physical safety and health. This indicated a rising trend in health consumers’ accountabilities for their own health.

This preventive care mindset has extended beyond COVID-19. During a consumer health webinar by IQVIA in May 2021, the panelists acknowledged that health consumers are taking greater interests in self-care and maintaining good health, which drove a 25% increase in the number of health consumers using fitness apps in 2020. Thus, digital tools are set to play a key role in meeting the preventive care needs of health consumers.

Personalization — “I want health experiences that are tailored to my needs”

Health consumers don’t want to know “what are healthy diets for high blood pressure?”; they want to know “what specific foods should I eat for my blood pressure?” Each health consumer has different health goals and approaches to achieving their health goals. We live in a world of data abundance, and these data points can be used to personalize health information, interventions, and services that can help set health consumers on a path to success towards meeting their health targets.

Personalization is no longer confined to curative medicine and symptomatic treatment. With health consumers’ post-pandemic quests for holistic self-care, they desire personalized solutions in several aspects of their preventive care journey, such as diet, exercise habits, stress management, and medical appointment attendance. Technological innovations play an immense role in creating personalized health journeys that are engaging and cost-effective for consumers. Wearable devices for physical activity monitoring, like the Apple Watch and FitBit, aptly exemplify the setting of personalized targets based on data collected from the health consumer.

Flexibility — “I am willing to try new things if it will help me live healthier”

The pandemic has triggered changes in the mindsets of health consumers. They are no longer rigid in their health-seeking behaviours and are willing to test the waters to meet their health demands, including using digital tools.

As the pandemic progressed, health consumers warmed up to telemedicine for medical consultations. This was rooted in their fears of exposure to the virus linked with visiting healthcare facilities. In September 2020, a PwC survey found that 37% of consumers were willing to receive virtual services for ongoing treatment of conditions, while 34% were open to virtual services for initial assessment of a condition. This trend did not show signs of slowing down. Telehealth utilization is now 38 times higher than before the pandemic, according to McKinsey. In a survey by McKinsey in February 2021, 24% of the respondents said that their last medical appointment was conducted telephonically or virtually. Moreover, there is a growing preference for attending appointments for mental health and behaviour via telemedicine — 47% said they attend these appointments virtually.

Health consumers are also open to sharing their health data with healthcare payers and providers, driven by their desire to avoid in-person consultations. According to a survey by Deloitte, 73% of the respondents said they were willing to share their data with healthcare providers. In a consumer survey by EY, 62% said they would share their personal data for healthier product recommendations. Thus, health consumers are embracing data sharing to ensure continued healthcare services and receive better recommendations that are aligned with their health goals.

What can be done to adapt to these needs of health consumers?

We’ve previously talked about the rise of the empowered health consumer — how they’ve transformed from passive recipients of health information to active co-owners of their health and wellness decisions. The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly facilitated this empowerment. Health consumers know what they want, which warrants the agility of healthcare providers to meet health consumers’ needs. These are some points to be kept in mind for the post-COVID health consumer:

• Health consumers are now more proactive rather than reactive about their health. Thus, they need seamless, personalized, preventive care journeys facilitated by technological innovations.
• Health consumers are more open-minded about the way they utilize healthcare services and meet their health goals. This signals opportunities in further refining telemedicine delivery and leveraging wearable devices.
• Building a sense of trust in health consumers and empathizing with their needs are key. It’s imperative to be transparent with health consumers and acknowledge their ever-changing emotions as the pandemic evolves.

Schenelle Dlima is a Scientific Content Writer at “Saathealth”, an AI-powered chronic care platform for positive health outcomes.