A clinic for climate therapy for asthma in France. Photo: BSIP/UIG via Getty Images
Young people are a lot less satisfied than older generations with the experience of going to the doctor, according to a new Accenture report.
By the numbers: 24% of Generation Z patients said they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the convenience of using the traditional health care system, compared with just 4% of Baby Boomers.
- Gen Z patients were also more dissatisfied than boomers about the ability to ask follow-up questions after an appointment and transparency about which tests would be done.
- The biggest gaps, though, were in perceptions of the care itself.
Young people were also more likely to choose a provider based on their technological offerings — for example, whether appointments can be made online, or online access to health records.
My thought bubble: There's way too much hype around the idea that some app or whatever is going to turn the health care system upside down.
- But in terms of the day-to-day patient experience, younger patients do seem to be dragging providers into the online world.
- And to whatever extent that goes beyond pure convenience and actually promotes changes like better health records or some improved version of telehealth, there's some measurable-but-not-revolutionary chance to make the system work a little bit better.
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