The Changing Outlook to
Digital Health

Explore what people really think about digital health solutions, which tools they use, and how different age groups use technology to improve their wellness.

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Where digital health is today

Digital health industry is constantly growing and reached a record high of $29.1 billion of investments in 2021. These tools became more accessible during the global lockdowns when most of the services moved online.

However, the Kilo Health report shows that most people still don’t use digital health tools to the full extent. There could be many reasons for this – from data governance issues to the complexity of integrating digital health tools into the currently existing healthcare systems to the general skepticism toward online tools. For instance, the number of people who do not trust health apps with their data has grown from 15.4% in 2005 to 28% today.

However, the big picture is rapidly changing: in recent years, far more people have been willing to connect with their doctor online, seek health information online, or use digital health apps or wearables.

What changed in the digital health industry?

+31%
health advice searches

In 2002, 62% of people were seeking health information online. In 2022, up to 93% of American adults seek health advice online.

Pew Internet Project, 2002
Kilo Health report, 2022

+57%
virtual doctor visits

In 2018, 77% of consumers have never tried a virtual visit to their doctor. In 2022, 80% have had at least one type of digital interaction (via phone, video, SMS, or app) with their doctor.

Deloitte, 2018
Kilo Health report, 2022

+12,6%
distrust toward digital health apps

In 2015, 15.4% people didn’t use digital health apps because they didn’t trust apps collecting their data. In 2022, the number rose to 28%.

JMIR Publications, 2015
Kilo Health report, 2022

Closer look at the key findings

The majority of people seek and use health advice online

93% of people searched for health information online at least once, and 82% have tried health advice found online. 65% of people are likely to research their symptoms online before they contact a doctor when they feel unwell.

“False information is more likely to be shared on some social media sites than accurate news. If people are seeking and trying out advice they find online at such a high rate, they could be putting their health in danger.“

Around half don’t use the full spectrum of digital tools available

For 56% of people, the term “digital health” is associated mostly with accessing doctors online using digital tools. 51% say they haven’t tried wearable devices, and 43% have never used any digital health app.

“There are two sides to digital health: the vast information available online and the tools that help curate and personalize it. Even though most people use the information they find online, only half of them try to use digital health tools that could ensure their information is scientifically accurate and personalized to their exact needs.”

A third of young people struggle with improving their mental health

1 out of 3 young people (34%) do not think they have a solid routine to care for their mental health. 36% have tried digital health apps but no longer believe in their effectiveness.

“Young people seem to be struggling the most with mental health issues. Sadly, a third of them do not have routines nor use tools to improve it. While online programs based on cognitive behavioral therapy are proven to help mental health, a third of young people decide not to use them. Which begs the question – is this about the quality of the programs, the cost, or other reasons?”

Kasparas Aleknavičius

CEO of Bioma at Kilo Health

Listen to report recap:

Report methodology

The report findings come from a survey about digital health and wellness that was carried out in 2022. Kilo Health researchers surveyed 1,004 adult internet users from the US using an online, self-complete-style interview.

The data used in this report is anonymized and aggregated to ensure the full privacy of the respondents. Data analysis used the post-stratification weighting method – the data was weighted by gender and age to achieve a distribution equal to the population. Other socio-demographic characteristics used in the analysis are ethnicity, educational background, marital and employment status, income level, and location.

Gender and age distribution

About Kilo Health

Kilo Health is a leading digital health and wellness company with a portfolio of 30+ products and 6.5+ million customers worldwide. As of 2022, it’s the second fastest-growing company in Europe on the Financial Times FT1,000 ranking, the second-fastest growing tech company in Central Europe on the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 list.

6.5+

million customers

30+

products

600+

talents