Sony announced that a study found that nearly 90% of those surveyed believe specialized remote monitoring can help to better manage chronic conditions.

The company’s mSafety wearable platform division today revealed the findings from the study of 2,005 people managing chronic conditions in the U.S. The data was collected between May 29, 2020, and June 2, 2020.

Ahead of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) virtual conference, the published study offers insights into the interest for remote health monitoring technology aimed at helping consumers that are either managing their own chronic condition or managing the condition of someone they care for.

Additionally, the study found that more than half of those surveyed would consider switching doctors if they didn’t provide a specialized remote health monitoring device, opting to switch to a doctor who does offer such a device. In total, 75% of those surveyed said they would wear a specialized device if prescribed by their doctor.

Other key statistics from the study include:

  • 30% of people managing chronic conditions continuously struggle with tracking vitals and other important measurements.
  • 33% of people managing chronic conditions are stressed about keeping up with or misreporting vitals.
  • Only 20% of people with chronic conditions (or managing those for someone else) have been prescribed a specialized wearable.
    • Only 28% would trust a consumer health wearable device, illustrating the need for more healthcare-specific remote monitoring devices.
  • Nearly 50% would physically visit the doctor less if they could share health data digitally
    • 54% said they would cut at least three annual visits
  • Excluding those 65 and older, approximately 60% would go to the doctor in-person less if they could share health data remotely

“Chronic conditions cost the U.S. healthcare system $3.1 trillion in 2019, and the burden of ongoing treatment and compliance impacts patients and providers alike,” Sony’s Takeoff Point LLC head of network communications sales & business development Arnol Rios said in a news release. “What this study highlights is that U.S. consumers are eager to adopt remote health monitoring devices. Wearable devices — like the mSafety device — hold the potential to reduce the need for costly and complex acute interventions that don’t align with proactive, personalized care models of the future.”

The study’s data likely reinforces the findings of a recent Frost & Sullivan analysis that observed that the demand for telehealth technology is expected to rise amid the COVID-19 pandemic.