Consumers in Singapore Want Self-Directed Healthcare Enabled by Digital Technologies, According to Accenture Report

Majority willing to replace face-to-face doctor visit with digitally
enabled “virtual” visit

SINGAPORE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Consumers in Singapore are ready to accept self-directed healthcare
driven by digital technologies, with more than half of them willing to
use virtual-care technologies as a replacement for a face-to-face
healthcare visit, according to a new report by Accenture
(NYSE:ACN).

The report, titled Innovation-Powered
Healthcare in Asia Pacific, is based on a three-country survey of
2,250 citizens – 750 each in Australia, Japan and Singapore. According
to the report, 54 per cent of Singaporean consumers said they would
forego a face-to-face visit with a physician in lieu of a virtual visit
if that would enable them to be seen sooner.

The survey also found that more than three-quarters (78 per cent) of
respondents in Singapore said they trust themselves to take charge of
their own health, and nearly the same number (74 per cent) said they
want more options for self-managing their care. For example, four in
five Singaporean respondents (80 per cent) said they would use a virtual
assistant – a solution that draws on advances in artificial intelligence
to help a consumer manage more of their healthcare themselves. A virtual
assistant could, among other things, identify the out-of-pocket costs
for a treatment, help find the right treatment option, or help manage an
appointment or referral.

The findings show signs of a sizable gulf between patient expectations
in Singapore and the health services they received: only one-fifth (19
per cent) of respondents in Singapore said they were ‘very satisfied’
with their quality of care, and even fewer (14 per cent) said they were
‘very satisfied’ with the convenience of services.

The report also notes that consumers in Singapore are most willing to
adopt digitally enabled changes to the healthcare system that can
improve: the time spent in waiting rooms (cited by 63 per cent of
respondents) and the time it takes to get an appointment (cited by 44
per cent).

“Demand for self-service technology is helping Singapore become a
breeding ground for health technology start-ups and government-funded
initiatives,” said Julian
Sham, M.D., who leads Accenture’s health practice in Singapore.
“Integrating self-service technology into the existing system will
further enable patients to take charge of their health and interact with
the system on their own terms. By implementing digital technologies more
broadly, the health industry will be able to augment human labour,
personalise care and free-up time for clinicians to focus on where
they’re needed most. That’s the real innovation that digital
technologies can provide.”

Methodology

Accenture commissioned a survey of 2,250 consumers (aged 18+) in
Australia, Japan and Singapore – 750 from each country – to understand
their attitudes toward their health system and healthcare technologies.
The online survey was fielded by Longitude Research, on behalf of
Accenture, between January and February 2016, with the sample evenly
distributed across age groups, gender and income brackets. Each
respondent self-reported having been treated by a health provider at
least once over each of the past three years.

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a
broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital,
technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and
specialised skills across more than 40 industries and all business
functions – underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network –
Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help
clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their
stakeholders. With more than 375,000 people serving clients in more than
120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world
works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

Contacts

Accenture
Hui Luen Lien, + 65 6410 8790
hui.luen.lien@accenture.com
or
Jenn
Francis, + 1 630 338 6426
jennifer.francis@accenture.com