TK report: Insured see e-prescription and co. positively, skepticism about AI

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Many people see the benefits of the digitalization of the healthcare system. The electronic patient file and e-prescription in particular are viewed positively, according to a survey by the Techniker Krankenkassen. Nevertheless, there is still skepticism about new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and care robots.

Respondents see advantages in electronic patient records and co.

According to the TK report, 84 percent of respondents see advantages in the electronic patient file (ePA). However, it is not clear from the survey results whether the respondents are already among the approximately 1.5 million insured persons who have already activated an ePA. 69 percent rate the electronic prescription positively. The use of robots for operations is also seen as beneficial by 64% of respondents.

Half of those surveyed expect digital health applications to be beneficial, for example for managing chronic illnesses and accompanying treatment. According to the researchers, the positive assessment of these applications can be partly attributed to their prevalence and familiarity.

Fears and concerns about AI

There are also fears and concerns, such as the use of AI in the healthcare sector. Almost half of those surveyed (49%) see this as being associated with new and serious risks. When asked about this, a third of respondents expressed fear of the use of AI in the healthcare sector.

69% of respondents nevertheless see AI as a great opportunity to improve healthcare –, particularly in the more precise analysis of X-ray images (86%) and the early detection of diseases. 72% agree with the statement that artificial intelligence is "primarily a topic for research".

Fear of treatment errors and hospital germs

The Techniker report also shows that many people are not sufficiently informed about the hospital reform – Almost half are not informed at all and a large proportion are "poorly informed". The answers to another set of questions and answers also show that many insured persons are afraid of treatment errors in hospital.

In a further question, it was determined which adverse event in medical care the insured persons are most afraid of. The answer from 60 percent of respondents was: "hospital germs", which cause around half a million deaths every year (as of 2021). This was followed by "incorrect diagnosis", "medication errors", "surgical errors" and "equipment errors".

More than 30 percent also consider it "very likely" and "fairly likely" that treatment errors occur in inpatient or outpatient care. At the presentation of the report, Thomas Ballast, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Techniker, also referred to the portal"Mehr-Patientensicherheit.de", which was launched in February and where patients can share their experiences.

According to the Techniker, it cooperated with the Institute and Polyclinic for Medical Psychology at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) for the report. The survey was commissioned from the opinion research institute Forsa. Around 1000 people were questioned in computer-assisted telephone interviews using a structured questionnaire.

(mack)