Digitization in the General Practitioners Practice : A Patient Survey

The aim of the research is to determine how far digitization has advanced in the practices of general practitioners (GPs) in Germany and how important digital offers are to patients. To analyze this behavior, a quantitative survey on the use and acceptance of digital services by general practitioners was carried out. For this purpose, students from the Stralsund University of Applied Sciences and employees of the nursing home were asked to take part in a survey on the “use and acceptance of the digital services offered by general practitioners”.
With regard to the current use of digital services by general practitioners, there were hardly any differences between the age groups. The survey showed that personal contact with the doctor is still important for most of the respondents. A particularly relevant result, however, is that half of the respondents stated that they could imagine choosing their GP in the future based on the digital services offered. While the younger generations are more likely to use the Internet to find out about digital offers from the doctor, the older generation expect information from the doctor and the practice staff.
The survey showed that only a few general practitioners currently provide digital services. It could be shown that so far only the online appointment arrangement is relatively common. Additional applications are only gradually finding their way into care.