Indian organizations record highest adoption of digital tools during pandemic
A new survey from Ernst & Young Global (EY) and Imperial College London's Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI) revealed that India has witnessed the highest adoption of digital technologies by organizations specializing in Health and Human Services (HHS). The survey intended to understand the benefits of new workflows developed during the pandemic. It also explored how digitization would affect services in the future.
More than 2,000 HHS professionals were surveyed
The study is titled "Embracing digital: Is COVID-19 the catalyst for lasting change?" It surveyed more than 2,000 HHS professionals from India, Australia, Italy, UAE, UK, and US. Of these, 359 respondents were from India. 51 percent of the Indian respondents observed an increase in their use of digital technologies and data solutions since the pandemic began.
Digitization positively impacted staff productivity and service delivery to patients
A whopping 74 percent of the respondents in India reported that digitization increased staff productivity. Additionally, 75 percent reported that digital solutions had effectively delivered better outcomes for patients and service users. The survey report observed that the UAE and India appear to be ahead of other countries in terms of percentage of organizations adopting digital tools.
Consultations over phone and video calls recorded highest increase
Of all the technology solutions, the survey reported that video and phone consultation with HHS professionals had seen the highest rise. Before the pandemic, just 39 percent of HHS organizations offered phone consultations and 22 percent offered video consultations. The survey recorded that now, 81 percent of HHS organizations offer phone consultation and 71 percent offer video consultation.
Most organizations preferred online self-assessment instead of phone/video consultations
The rate of adoption for phone consultation was 86 percent, compared to 48 percent before the pandemic. For video consultations, the rate of adoption of the technology grew from 33 percent before the pandemic to 83 percent now. 92 percent of Indian public sector organizations preferred digital self-help and 89 percent organizations preferred online self-assessment over phone or video consultation.
Indian respondents also expressed privacy and ethical concerns
Apart from this, three-fourth of respondents from India reported a positive experience with digital technologies and the number of people seeking consultations online increased three-fold. However, nearly 40 percent of respondents from India said ethics and privacy concerns hindered adoption of digital solutions. In comparison, just 11 percent respondents from the UK and 20 percent from the US raised these concerns.
EY India says the country set a global example
EY India's Partner and Leader for Government and Public Sector, Gaurav Taneja said that the pandemic has shown how data and technology can make a difference for HHS professionals in India. He added that with government support and incentives, India has set an example for the rest of the world, leading the way for technology adoption in healthcare.
