When it comes to attending continuing medical education events, 84% of doctors say they would rather participate online than in-person, according to the Joint Survey of Physician Digital Behavior released by ON24 and MedData Group, InformationWeek reports (Vecchione, InformationWeek, 4/20).
ON24 provides services for webcasts and virtual events, and MedData Group provides interactive content and marketing services to the health care industry (ON24 release, 4/17).
The survey asked 971 physicians about their online habits and use of technology.
Views on Attending Virtual Educational Events
Of the physicians surveyed:
- 91% said they see benefits in attending virtual educational events;
- 75.5% said they believe that such virtual events are increasing in number; and
- 35% said they believe that virtual events contribute to better patient care.
When asked about the benefits of virtually attending a conference or meeting, 80% of surveyed doctors cited the convenience of viewing on-demand content, and 53% cited avoiding the hassles of travel.
Use of Digital Devices
When asked about the type of digital devices they own or plan to purchase in the next six months:
- 74.2% of surveyed doctors said they own an iPad or plan to buy one in the next six months;
- 69.4% said they own an iPhone or plan to buy one in the next six months;
- 30.9% said they own a non-iPhone smartphone or will buy one in the next six months; and
- 14.1% said they own a non-iPad tablet or will get a tablet in the next six months (InformationWeek, 4/20).