Older people, the digital divide and use of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic

Sturgiss, Elizabeth; Dykgraaf, Sally Hall; Kidd, Michael P.; Desborough, Jane; Parkinson, Anne; Dut, Garang M

doi:10.31128/ajgp-03-22-6358

Cited by 12 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Interest in using Internet‐based services was also somewhat mitigated by mistrust, with concerns of confidentiality and privacy raised, a barrier to the use of Internet‐based services among older adults which has been identified in other studies 3,7,9,10 . Some participants needed greater assurance that the service was safe to use, with issues such as the use of fake profiles minimised.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Interest in using Internet-based services was also somewhat mitigated by mistrust, with concerns of confidentiality and privacy raised, a barrier to the use of Internet-based services among older adults which has been identified in other studies. 3,7,9,10 Some participants needed greater assurance that the service was safe to use, with issues such as the use of fake profiles minimised. For Internet-based services that incorporate a social component, allowing older adults to use video-chat technologies may partially alleviate such trust and confidence concerns as seeing the other person would allow them to verify with whom they are speaking.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Older adults' preferences for Internet‐based services: Type and content

et al. 2023

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Objective(s)The aim of this paper was to report on qualitative survey responses provided by older Australian adults regarding their preferences for Internet‐based services and content.MethodsTwo qualitative questions (‘What type of Internet‐based mental health and well‐being (1) services, and (2) content would be of most interest to you?’) from a broader survey investigating the mental and physical health of older Australians were thematically analysed for commonly occurring themes. Eighty‐nine participants aged 65 years or older (mean age = 71 years, SD = 5.30) responded to at least one qualitative question. Participants were primarily female (60%, n = 53), born in Australia (65%, n = 58), in a relationship (58%, n = 52), living in the community (79%, n = 70) and relatively well educated, with the majority having completed a university degree (38%, n = 34).ResultsThemes indicated that participants were most interested in Facebook‐style services (n = 17), chat groups (n = 16) and email‐based services (n = 4) designed specifically for older adults (n = 14). However, some concerns were raised regarding the trustworthiness of Internet‐based services, with the largest proportion of participants (n = 22) noting that they were unlikely to use Internet‐ or social media‐based services. The primary content‐related themes were mental fitness (n = 34), grief and loss (n = 20), health information (n = 13), socialisation (n = 11) and physical fitness (n = 10).ConclusionsParticipants indicated interest in tailor‐made Facebook‐style services for older adults that allow them to communicate with their peers and create new social networks and incorporate content relating to strategies for working on mental and physical fitness, information on coping with grief and loss, as well as health information. These findings can be used by organisations to develop Internet‐based services and content for older Australian adults.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Older adults' preferences for Internet‐based services: Type and content

et al. 2023

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“…A qualitative analysis reported that Australian GPs preferred telephone consultations due to its simplicity and because the Medicare rebate was the same as video consultations [26]. Studies in the United States and Australia further suggest that clinicians and some patient groups (eg, older people) are discouraged by the complex setup process of video consultations [28,[30][31][32]. For health issues requiring visual assessments, a study reported that GPs preferred telephone plus photographs compared to video consultation to reduce technological delays [25].…”

Section: Principal Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of General Practitioner Telehealth Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Regional Victoria, Australia: Retrospective Analysis

Savira¹,

Orellana²,

Hensher³

et al. 2023

J Med Internet Res

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Background In March 2020, the Australian Government expanded general practitioner (GP) telehealth services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective This study sought to assess use patterns of GP telehealth services in response to changing circumstances (before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and with or without a lockdown) in regional Victoria, Australia. Methods We conducted a secondary analysis of monthly Medicare claims data from July 2019 to June 2021 from 140 regional GP practices in Western Victoria. The longitudinal patterns of proportion of GP telehealth consultations stratified by type of consultation (ie, videoconference vs telephone) and by geographical, consumer, and consultation characteristics were analyzed. Results Telehealth comprised 25.8% (522,932/2,025,615) of GP consultations over the 2-year period. After the introduction of the Australian telehealth expansion policy in March 2020, there was a rapid uptake in GP telehealth services (including telephone and video services), from 0% before COVID-19 to 15% (11,854/80,922) of all consultations in March 2020, peaking at 55% (50,828/92,139) in August 2020. Thereafter, the use of telehealth declined steadily to 31% (23,941/77,344) in January 2021 and tapered off to 28% (29,263/103,798) in June 2021. Telephone services and shorter consultations were the most dominant form, and those aged 15-64 years had higher telehealth use rates than younger or older age groups. The proportion of video consultations was higher during periods with government-imposed lockdowns and higher in the most socioeconomically advantaged areas compared to less socioeconomically advantaged areas. Conclusions Our findings support the continuation of telehealth use in rural and regional Australia post pandemic. Future policy must identify mechanisms to reduce existing equity gaps in video consultations and consider patient- and system-level implications of the dominant use of short telephone consultations.

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“…3 Visual acuity is one factor that can impact patients' interaction with mobile screens limiting their engagement. 3 Addressing the disparity in digital literacy across age groups and minority groups, such as lower socioeconomic backgrounds, are fundamental for widespread, generalised successful implementation of technological interventions in healthcare.…”

Section: External Generalisability In Implementation Studies Of Techn...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2 In the Australian elderly community, patients are found not to prioritise the acquisition of technology, and even with access, are limited by cognitive and physical factors that affect their ability to interact with it effectively. 3 Visual acuity is one factor that can impact patients' interaction with mobile screens limiting their engagement. 3 Addressing the disparity in digital literacy across age groups and minority groups, such as lower socioeconomic backgrounds, are fundamental for widespread, generalised successful implementation of technological interventions in healthcare.…”

Section: External Generalisability In Implementation Studies Of Techn...mentioning

confidence: 99%

External generalisability in implementation studies of technological interventions

Lee

Macri

Bacchi

et al. 2023

Clinical Exper Ophthalmology

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Older people, the digital divide and use of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 12 publications

References 20 publications

Older adults' preferences for Internet‐based services: Type and content

Older adults' preferences for Internet‐based services: Type and content

Use of General Practitioner Telehealth Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Regional Victoria, Australia: Retrospective Analysis

External generalisability in implementation studies of technological interventions

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