Switzerland has so far collected health data on a decentralised basis and often still in analogue form. Yet extended digital collection and the opportunity to share data more easily with stakeholders in the health care ecosystem would potentially improve patient outcomes, making healthcare more efficient and bringing down costs.

However, such digitalisation is a realistic prospect only if the population is willing to make its sensitive personal data available. That means that citizens have to trust both the ecosystem actors and the processes for doing so. In short, without trust, there can be no digitalisation.

The scepticism tends to prevail for the time being, and it is important is to understand the root causes of this scepticism so that they can be addressed without foregoing the benefits of ongoing digitalisation.

Key findings

Causes and nature of mistrust in digitalised healthcare

Our survey shows that 45% of respondents do not want their personal data collected and shared digitally. It is also clear, however, that opinions are not set in stone. As many as 20% of all respondents answered “No opinion” to this question. This significant proportion suggests there is scope for using more intensive communication to convince those currently undecided about the benefits of digitalised healthcare.

Potential disadvantages seen more than advantages

The most commonly cited disadvantages include increased scope for abuse, lack of control over use and disclosure, and the threat of government surveillance. Interestingly, respondents are less likely to cite the benefits of digital collection and sharing of health data. This may be the result of low awareness of the specific uses for this data and the benefits these uses may bring.

Crisis of trust in health companies

Private sector healthcare companies do not enjoy high levels of trust among the Swiss population. In fact, Swiss nationals reserve their greatest scepticism for such companies. Overall, 62% of respondents would not be willing to share their health data with private companies under any circumstances, while 57% would not consent to sharing their data for commercial use.