In the past two decades, average life expectancy in Türkiye has increased by more than four years, while the infant mortality rate plummeted by more than 80 percent.
Continued improvement in health outcomes during the decade ahead could depend, in part, on the extent to which Türkiye embraces digital health tools.
A McKinsey survey of more than 1,000 individuals in Türkiye revealed that 60 percent have used digital health applications at least once. Notably, there is a substantial untapped market, with only 10 to 20 percent of respondents reporting using these apps frequently (four or more times in the past 12 months). The primary factors driving adoption of digital solutions among Turkish patients are convenience, quality of care, and data security. Despite the relatively nascent stage of digital healthcare adoption in Türkiye, 90 percent of digital health users expressed satisfaction with the outcomes of the services provided.
Still, Türkiye is only now beginning to tap the full potential that digital health offers. McKinsey conducted a value pool analysis to quantify how digital technologies could yield savings that Türkiye could then reinvest into other health and wellness improvements for its citizens. While capturing the substantial potential for efficiency gains, care delivery organizations can take steps to ensure digital tools maintain or increase the standard of care.
In this article, we outline sources of potential efficiency gains in Türkiye, current opportunities to expand digital health, and actions that could accelerate and support digital health adoption.
