There have been numerous studies that compare the differences between generations but new research from InCrowd may be tackling the generational divide from a new angle. In particular, the provider of real-time market intelligence for the pharmaceutical industry attempted to determine how Gen X and Millennial health consumers approach health care by surveying 330 individuals from these groups across the U.S.
The primary finding was that Millennials indicated greater comfort with the term ‘patient engagement’ than Gen X health consumers, with 62 percent of the former group indicating as much, compared to 40 percent of the latter. Despite this difference, though, both groups placed high value on developing a health partnership with their physician.
“Our goal with the consumer health research was to understand how people under the age of 50 typically engage with their physicians and healthcare providers and what benefits they get from that engagement. We also wanted to understand what they need to be more involved in their care,” said Kathleen Poulos, co-founder and CMO at InCrowd.
The study also tackled healthcare technology, particularly in how Gen X and Millennial consumers feel about online tools and technology to enhance communication and engagement. Put simply, both groups expressed interest in this area, while citing convenience and easy access to information as important needs to be considered in patient engagement solutions.
It’s fortunate, but not altogether surprising, that the younger generations would express interest and comfort in healthcare technologies since the healthcare industry in general is becoming more technologically inclined by the day. E-commerce, for example, is now more common in healthcare facilities, while mHealth and cloud technology were found to be two of the three major trends for the future of the healthcare industry recently.
InCrowd’s research, meanwhile, identified several opportunities for the pharmaceutical and health insurance industries to amplify the voice of the patient as patient engagement tools and programs are developed. However, the company is saving those findings for an upcoming webinar.
Edited by
Ryan Sartor
