How do citizens evaluate telemedicine?

The fourth issue of the TAB-Sensor is dedicated to the topic of telemedicine and focuses on population-representative assessments of the use and potential benefits of telemedicine services.
TAB Sensor Nr. 4: Wie bewerten Bürger/innen Telemedizin
TAB-Sensor Nr. 4: Wie bewerten Bürger/innen die Telemedizin?

Telemedicine has been a relevant topic for technology assessment for many years, even though it has not yet made the leap into widespread use. The relaxation of the ban on remote treatment and the corona pandemic have brought the benefits of telemedicine applications into sharper focus and opened up physicians' scope for action.

In addition to the benefits of telemedicine, the new TAB sensor also asked about its perceived influence on the doctor-patient relationship as well as possible advantages and disadvantages of video consultations as an increasingly used form of telemedicine. The results of the representative online survey show that every fourth person has already used a telemedicine service, and 7% of respondents have taken part in a video consultation. It is also clear that the use of telemedicine decreases significantly with increasing age. In addition, people from sparsely populated areas in Germany have a significantly higher intention to use telemedicine services of all medical specialties in the future - the advantages of telemedicine apparently reflect the need for care particularly well here.

The main reason given for not using telemedicine so far is the preference for face-to-face consultations, but also the lack of services offered by the treating physicians. Every sixth mention also refers to the fact that people do not know which telemedicine services are available to them. In principle, two thirds would seek telemedical care from their doctor for acute complaints. Video consultation hours are particularly conceivable in the area of primary care. The results also make it clear that video consultation hours are suitable as a permanent and sensible supplement to the personal visit in the practice, but not as a fundamental replacement.

The nationwide representative survey is a supplement to the ongoing TAB project Status quo and perspectives of telemedicine. The TAB-Sensor is available online (ony in German).

The TAB-Sensor series serves to provide appropriate, quick and visually memorable information to members of the Bundestag, but also to the general public, about societal perceptions, assessments and views on issues of scientific and technological change.The TAB-Sensor format was introduced in the last legislative period to complement publication formats such as TAB Report, TAB Focus and Topic Brief Profile of the Office of Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag .

25.01.2022

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