The Health Foundation published findings on exploring public attitudes toward the use of digital health technologies and data (24th November  2023). I asked Marc Beswick (Digital Education and Adoption Lead, Digital Health and care Directorate) to pick out highlights and reflect on some of the potential implications around use of technologies in health and care.

“During March 2023 the Health Foundation commissioned an online survey of 7,100 members of the public aged 16 and over and included a sample known to be at risk of digital exclusion. They asked respondents whether they felt the use of technology makes the quality of health care better, worse, or no different. Notably, the public feels technology has a positive impact on health care quality, with over half ( 56%) saying it makes the quality of care better, and only 8% feeling it makes the quality of care worse.

Not surprisingly there are some caveats.

First, not all technologies are equally liked: those that empower people to manage their health and to better connect them with NHS, for example self-monitoring tools and electronic health records, are more popular than those that seem to ‘come between patient and clinician citing chatbots and robots as least popular. The use of video was not so popular.

Second, their findings also revealed that public support for the use of healthcare technology can be significantly lower among those more likely to face health inequalities or barriers to accessing healthcare.  For example, their findings suggest that women and those most likely to be on low or no income are significantly less supportive of many uses of technology in health care. This is something that we are aware of from our work in Scotland, but we also know that those on low income have challenges accessing many services not just digital. From a Near Me (video consultation) perspective, the use and development of Community Hubs is one strand of our approach to overcome this by enabling people to access digital support near their homes without the need for their own devices, private space and some support if needed.

Third, younger people are significantly less likely to trust NHS organisations with their data than older people, but more likely to trust private companies and providers. They are also more likely to feel in control of their health data. 

When designing and deploying new uses of technology, it will be critical to make sure they do not exacerbate existing inequalities or create new ones.  This is why Equality Impact Assessments and meaningful public engagement matter to facilitate seeking out the voices of those who can often be excluded in public consultations.

The human elements of health and social care are valued, and people want to be able to make informed choices that best fit their situations.  No matter how good technology gets we need to design it with people’s lives and circumstances uppermost in mind to earn their trust and build their confidence and overcome any barriers.

Overall, I found this report helpful and timely in terms of digital tools and it will contribute to how the directorate presents digital approaches to the public.”

Exploring public attitudes towards the use of digital health technologies and data – The Health Foundation