The doctor is online: Singaporeans prefer virtual physician check-ups over face-to-face consultations

3 in 4 said they would prefer self-directed healthcare.

More Singaporeans are preferring to forego their usual doctor checkups in favor of virtual consultations as provided by innovative healthcare apps.

According to a report by Accenture, consumers are ready to accept self-directed healthcare driven by digital technologies, with more than half (54%) willing to use virtual-care technologies as a replacement for a face-to-face healthcare visit.

Additionally, more than three-quarters (78%) said they trust themselves to take charge of their own health, and nearly the same number (74%) said they want more options for self-managing their care.

“For example, four in five Singaporean respondents (80 per cent) said they would use a virtual assistant—a solution that draws on advances in artificial intelligence to help a consumer manage more of their healthcare themselves,” the report said.

Meanwhile, the report also said there are signs of a sizable gulf between patient expectations in Singapore and the health services they received: only one-fifth (19%) of respondents in Singapore said they were ‘very satisfied’ with their quality of care, and even fewer (14%) said they were ‘very satisfied’ with the convenience of services.

“The report also notes that consumers in Singapore are most willing to adopt digitally enabled changes to the healthcare system that can improve: the time spent in waiting rooms (cited by 63 per cent of respondents) and the time it takes to get an appointment (cited by 44 per cent),” the report added.