Americans Spending Summer Vacation at the Doctor's Office
PITTSBURGH, Aug. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- After a year-and-a-half of missed doctors' appointments due to the pandemic, Americans have some serious catching up to do. A whopping 41 percent of people skipped necessary medical care due to COVID-19, and, as a result, 2021 summer holidays may not include white sand beaches or a cabin by the lake: two in five Americans are taking time off not to relax but to catch up on overdue doctors' appointments.
Abridge, the service helping people better understand the details of their medical care and follow through on doctor's advice, surveyed 1,500 Americans and 500 medical professionals to get insight into how people are navigating their health and wellness as more people are vaccinated and feel more comfortable returning to normal routines.
Key findings include:
- Absence Makes the Heart Go Unchecked: Half of those surveyed said they've put off seeing a doctor within the past year. A further three in 10 (29 percent) haven't seen a doctor in more than six months.
- Dentist Days of Summer: The checkups that Americans are most behind on include essential preventive appointments like full physicals (35 percent), dental cleaning (31 percent) and eye exams (23 percent).
- IRL over Zoom: Forty-four percent confirmed that telehealth appointments are shorter than in-person visits and one in five (21 percent) wouldn't mind continuing with a mix of both in-person and telehealth care. Most (59 percent) think in-person appointments offer better medical care.
- Fond (and Unreliable) Memories: Forty-four percent said they struggle to remember all the information their doctors tell them. Half said they're likely to forget details about medications or the next steps of their care plan.
- Recommendation Repetition: Seventy percent of medical professionals said their patients often call to ask for advice that was previously shared with them, and 59 percent would even recommend their patients use their phone to record information about next steps.
"After spending a year where our days blurred together and people struggled with the separation between home and work, we're finally getting back into the swing of regular medical care," said Dr. Shiv Rao, co-founder and CEO of Abridge. "It's more important than ever when making up for lost time to ensure we all stay on top of our doctors' recommendations and next steps. As people head back to their doctor's office, whether in-person or virtual, they need to know someone has their back and is helping them remember and understand the details of their health."
Powered by machine learning, Abridge provides users with a transcript of the medical parts of the conversations they have with their doctors. Recognizing nearly 1 million medical terms, Abridge highlights important definitions and takeaways, like next steps or medication instructions. The app can be used for any type of medical appointment, from routine exams to urgent care appointments to specialist conversations.
Abridge can also generate useful summaries for clinicians, making it clear that everyone benefits when Abridge is part of the conversation.
Abridge Data from a survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Abridge in June-July 2021 of 1,500 Americans (general population) and 500 medical professionals. To learn more check out this blog post.
ABOUT ABRIDGE
Abridge helps people stay on top of their health. Whether an appointment takes place in-person or at home via telemedicine, Abridge records the conversation and creates an interactive transcript highlighting the key medical points. By keeping patients, their families, and clinicians on the same page, Abridge brings more understanding and follow-through to every conversation. Visit http://www.abridge.com and @AbridgeHQ to get the latest information.
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Martha Shaughnessy
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