The recent health crisis prompted healthcare systems in all countries to venture online for consultations. Doctors in Russia also started offering online consultations and locals are ready to start using these options.

Telemedicine in Russia

The All-Russian Public Opinion Research Centre WCIOM.ru asked respondents in Russia whether they know about online consultations service offered by medical doctors. 14% of people are well aware of such options, while 48% heard something about it.

But 1 in 3 people (38%) among survey participants never heard about it, and 92% reported that they have never personally used such a service.

Some people already took advantage of such opportunities: 6% had a phone consultation with a doctor and 2% obtained such health advice in an online session.

53% of Russians said they would be possibly using a medical consultation by phone, while 43% don’t think this is of any interest for them.

Online consolations via Internet with a doctor are seen as potentially appealing by 48% of respondents, while 49% stated they wouldn’t be using this option.

• The most popular hypothetical situation when Russians would use the opportunity to consult with a doctor by phone or online was “at the signs of a decease” (25%).
• “If I was feeling really bad” scored 10% of votes.
• The same share of people (10%) would use a telemedicine consultation “if there was nothing serious”.
• 5% of respondents would take this opportunity if they couldn’t attend the doctor in person.
• 4% of respondents would use this service “during quarantine”.
• Further 4% of participants would do it “if necessary”.

In general, the views of Russians after weeks of self-isolation could change more towards acceptance of such an unusual for them way of getting medical advice.

The poll was conducted on 23 May 2020 among 1,600 respondents in all regions of Russia, selected randomly to represent the whole population of the country.

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