Infertility, contraception top concerns of patients: Study

Doctors in the Capital have stated that Delhiites seem to be increasingly concerned about infertility and contraception and adolescent and behaviourial psychology. According to a study by Lybate, an online doctor consultation programme, doctors in the Capital reported that these two were among the four major health issues Delhiites spoke to them most about last year.

"The trend is that people are getting concerned and aware of being psychologically healthy and are reaching out to healthcare experts which is a positive development. For three years, we have been collating data and churning out useful insights which can play a key role in devising healthcare strategies," said Saurabh Arora, CEO, Lybrate.

The study is based on a cumulative sum of searches for doctors, lab tests booked, health queries sought, patient-doctor communication and appointments booked.

The data, taken from a twelve million sample size in Delhi, shows that there were only 0.9 million interactions with doctors on Infertility and Contraception in 2016, which rose to 2.5 million in 2017. The same is true for 'Adolescent and Behavioral Psychology', where the numbers rose from 0.8 million in 2016 to two million in 2017.

Apart from these two pressing concerns, the study reported that Diabetes and Respiratory issues, which mainly grew only in the month of November, had also become a major issue of concern for Delhiites.

The study also showed that the Capital was less open than other metro cities when it came to discussing issues regarding infertility and contraception. In Delhi, the study stated, 23% people consulted doctors for Infertility and Contraception, while 31% reached out to them for issues related to adolescent/behavioral psychology.

In Mumbai, 32% people talked about Infertility and Contraception and 31% consulted healthcare experts about adolescent/behavioral psychology. Kolkata and Ahmedabad had the highest number of queries around Infertility and Contraception with 36% and 35% people, respectively reaching out to doctors for the same.

In an encouraging trend, the study stated that in Tier-I cities, women within the age group 18 and 24 have become more proactive about consulting doctors online. The study also stated that there was also a rise in the number of queries from across age groups around behavioral changes dealing with frustration and anger, hypersensitivity, managing relationship issues, among others, apart from regular queries on managing stress and depression.

TRENDS IN METROS

• In Delhi, 23% people consulted doctors for infertility and contraception, while 31% reached out to them for issues related to adolescent/behavioral psychology.
   
• In Mumbai, 32% people talked about infertility and contraception. 31% consulted healthcare experts about adolescent/behavioral psychology.