No single factor can determine how a patient relates to technology, but age is a top consideration. After all, we all have experienced technological advancements at different points in our lives.

As technology becomes further embedded into healthcare, it’s key for clinicians, leaders and administrators to understand how it shapes the patient experience. Here are some generational trends to keep in mind as your organization evolves its patient engagement strategy.

Understanding patients’ priorities

While there aren’t official cutoff points for each generation, the largest in the U.S. today are generally understood as:

• Baby boomers, born 1946–1964
• Generation X (Gen X), born 1965–1980
• Millennials, born 1981–1996
• Generation Z (Gen Z), born 1997–2012

The stages of life that members of these generations are in can greatly influence their care preferences. As noted in an article from the American Hospital Association (AHA), many baby boomers are looking for high-touch, high-quality experiences, which has driven demand for offerings like concierge health. Organizations should bear this in mind to maintain brand loyalty as baby boomers age into and past retirement and their care needs become more complex.

Many Gen X and millennial patients may now see themselves as part of a “sandwich generation.” They are not only managing their own care, but often also that of their children and aging parents. Patients in these generations may prioritize convenience, flexibility and transparency more than others as they juggle care needs for themselves and their families.

The oldest members of Gen Z are now well into their twenties, and it will be fascinating to see how the industry shifts as more of these “digital natives” make their own care decisions. Given that fewer members of this generation say they have a primary care physician than others, expanding less traditional care offerings may be necessary to court Gen Z patients.

Minding the patient satisfaction gap

Research suggests that more patients from younger generations do not feel their healthcare experiences are meeting their expectations. In one national patient experience study, there was a 7.7-point gap in “Likelihood to Recommend” (LTR) scores between patients 18–34 years old and patients 65–79 years old. Patient preferences around technology use in healthcare may help partially explain these disparities.

One healthcare consumer survey found that half of patients 55–64 prefer in-person doctor visits compared to 34% of patients 25–34. These results align with a separate survey which found that 24% of all consumers would switch doctors solely based on the availability of virtual visit options. Among millennials, this figure rose to 43%, while 33% of Gen Z respondents expressed a similar willingness to switch providers.

Millennial and Gen Z patients are not just leveraging technology to interact with their providers, but also to take greater ownership of their health. For example, 67% of millennials want the ability to download their data from electronic health records (EHRs), compared to 53% of baby boomers. Similarly, 66% of Gen Z patients use wellness apps, fitness trackers and other digital tools to monitor their health, compared to 40% of those in other generations.

While younger patients may have a stronger desire to use technology to access care, many from older generations are open to its use as well. For example, 55% of adults 50–80 with a patient portal report using it within the past month, and 60% of those over 55 say they are willing to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) for routine healthcare activities.

Embracing digital, enhancing experiences

These findings suggest that as the clinician shortage grows, technology can help organizations expand access to care—and improve experiences—for patients from all generations.

Altera Digital Health is committed to making healthcare more personal, accessible and understandable for everyone involved. Learn how we’re working to empower patients of all ages to proactively manage their own health here.