In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, more people are willing to use virtual healthcare services for routine needs such as checkups, consultations and follow-up visits, according to a survey performed earlier this year. 
Telehealth options had been slowly gaining traction prior to the pandemic but the shutdowns during the early months of COVID propelled virtual healthcare forward rapidly. According to the survey done by Telehealth.com, awareness of virtual healthcare increased by almost 50% during the pandemic.
Additional findings from the survey, which included 1,000 US adults ages 18-54+, were:
- 62% prefer to use telehealth appointments after the pandemic. This includes 65% of people who were aware of telehealth prior to the pandemic and 59% of those who became aware of telehealth during the pandemic.
- The majority of telehealth users who rated their experience gave it a “good” or “excellent” rating.
- Those who were more likely to be aware of telehealth services tended to be white and in higher income brackets.
- Among those who were aware of telehealth services prior to the pandemic, 37% had used telehealth before COVID; the percentage increased to 56% during the pandemic.
- Among those who learned about telehealth services during the pandemic, 59% will prefer telehealth care in the future, whereas 36% prefer to go back to in-person visits.
- 70% of millennials said they would prefer to use telehealth services after the pandemic.
Does your organization offer telehealth services? If so, how has the pandemic affected your telehealth service volume?