People are becoming increasingly more ready to trust healthcare professionals with their personal data, according to the results of a newly released survey.
The exercise by Storm ID, developer of the Lenus digital health platform, has also shown that significant numbers now have wearable devices that can monitor health signs.
Its survey of more than 500 adults around the UK revealed that 82% either agree or strongly agree that they would trust a healthcare professional with their data to improve the quality of care.
When breaking it down to specific roles the figures are highest for GPs with a 92% rating, followed by consultants with 83%, surgeons with 75% and nurses with 72%. People are more cautious about sharing their data with pharmacists (47%) and researchers (28%).
This trust is also reflected in attitudes toward machine learning in healthcare, as nearly half of all respondents would be comfortable sharing their health data with AI to improve the quality of their care. The younger generation are more open to this with 77% of 18-34 year olds agreeing.
A large majority also agreed that they should be told what data about them has been collected by the NHS.
Another element of the survey found that people with long term conditions such as COPD and diabetes are generally willing to track their own health with technology. This applies most to 45-54 year-olds (28%) to use their wearables to manage an existing condition, and to 35-44 year-olds (26%) to understand their personal health.
Storm ID said this is likely to increase over the next 12 months as respondents stated a growing desire to track most metrics, taking in heart rate, blood pressure, weight, physical activity and sleep.
Image from iStock, Natalie Mis
