Sociodemographic Factors Influencing the Use of eHealth in People with Chronic Diseases

Abstract

Alongside the growing number of older persons, the prevalence of chronic diseases is increasing, leading to higher pressure on health care services. eHealth is considered a solution for better and more efficient health care. However, not every patient is able to use eHealth, for several reasons. This study aims to provide an overview of: (1) sociodemographic factors that influence the use of eHealth; and (2) suggest directions for interventions that will improve the use of eHealth in patients with chronic disease. A structured literature review of PubMed, ScienceDirect, Association for Computing Machinery Digital Library (ACMDL), and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) was conducted using four sets of keywords: “chronic disease”, “eHealth”, “factors”, and “suggested interventions”. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies were included. Four researchers each assessed quality and extracted data. Twenty-two out of 1639 articles were included. Higher age and lower income, lower education, living alone, and living in rural areas were found to be associated with lower eHealth use. Ethnicity revealed mixed outcomes. Suggested solutions were personalized support, social support, use of different types of Internet devices to deliver eHealth, and involvement of patients in the development of eHealth interventions. It is concluded that eHealth is least used by persons who need it most. Tailored delivery of eHealth is recommended.

Usefulness of a Lifestyle Intervention in Patients With Cardiovascular Disease

“…This might have resulted in feeling more supported and motivated to engage in healthier behavior these first months, suggesting that blended care is the way forward for this patient population. 20 Regarding sleep efficiency, no improvement was observed. The majority of previous studies that found positive associations between lifestyle interventions and (self-reported) sleep quality in cardiac patients focused primarily on patients with obesity and established obstructive sleep apnea.…”

Elderly’s Attitude towards the Selected Types of e-Health

“…Although there is a growing trend towards the use of mobile phones among the older generations [11], the elderly still prefer using computers compared to mobile phones, as the most recent study by Reiners et al [12] revealed is thanks to better technical aspects and access to the Internet. For example, more than half of the Italian and the German elderly reported they used the Internet to attain health-related information [3,4].…”

“…As a Swedish study [11] indicates, there are still feelings of ambivalence towards e-health among the elderly, especially in the area of mistrust in poor IT systems or impaired abilities to cope with technology. Therefore, the potential e-Health devices and their implementation should be targeted at the elderly people's needs and preferences [12,13]. Reiners et al [12] summarize these needs as follows:…”

“…Therefore, the potential e-Health devices and their implementation should be targeted at the elderly people's needs and preferences [12,13]. Reiners et al [12] summarize these needs as follows:…”

The knowledge, attitude, and action of Northern Iranian women about cervical cancer and screening

“…15 The knowledge and attitude about the disease are influenced by many factors such as sociodemographic factors, media and the accessibility of health care services. 16 However, we must recognize the fact that the screening behavior of each individual is a twisted result of many factors at different levels. 17 Although there are several reports about cervical cancer screening in Iran, due to the geographical variation of the incidence/mortality of this disease, to conduct various studies from different regions of Iran leads to a more comprehensive report about the cervical cancer screening.…”