The number of US consumers using wearable technology and mobile apps to monitor and manage their health has doubled in the past two years, according to a new survey.

An Accenture report has found that the number of US consumers using mobile health apps jumped from 16% in 2014 to 33% today, while the number of people using health wearables has increased from 8% to 21% in the same time.

Of the consumers surveyed who were asked by their doctor to use wearables to track their health and monitor fitness and vital signs, 76% followed the advice of their physician.

40% of the people surveyed that use health apps have discussed or shared mobile app data with their doctor in the past 12 months, and 90% said they would be happy to share wearable or app data with medical providers.

In terms of reasons for using health apps, 59% of consumers pointed to fitness, while 52% indicated diet/nutrition, 36% said symptom navigation, and 28% use the apps to access their patient portal.

Interestingly, 29% of respondents indicated they prefer virtual doctor appointments to face-to-face doctor appointments – a rise of 6% from the 2014 survey.

“Digital tools are empowering patients to take charge of their health and interact with the system on their own terms,” said Kaveh Safavi, who leads Accenture’s health practice globally. “Healthcare providers will need to weave digital capabilities into the core of their business model so that it becomes embedded in everything they do.” 

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