Does Age, Race, and/or Rurality Determine Older Veterans' Ability to Access Va Video Connect

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to determine whether ability to use VA Video Connect (VVC) by older Veterans (OV) differed by age, race, or rurality. A service to help older Veterans learn to use VVC was developed. As part of an ongoing QI project, demographics, willingness to attempt a VVC test call and outcomes of test calls were collected on all referrals. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and Fisher’s exact test were used to examine differences in success rates by group. Of the 66 OV (age 60+) referred by their primary care providers, we were able to contact 63 by phone. Of those, 46 (73%) scheduled a VVC test call, 7 (11%) chose not to participate, and 10 (16%) were already using VVC for appointments. Of the 40 who continued the VVC test call, 31 (77.5%) were successful without issues, 7 (17.5%) were successful with help resolving issues, and 2 (5%) disconnected before finishing the call because it became too difficult. Of the 63 OV contacted, 38 (57.5%) had a successful VVC test call. However, those residing in rural (vs. urban) settings were less likely to have a successful test call (43% vs. 57%, p=0.04). There was no statistically significant difference in success rates for the test calls between whites vs. non-whites (52% vs. 48%, p= 0.2), or those aged 75 years or above vs. 60-74 years (53% vs. 46%, p=0.6). More work is needed to identify barriers to use of VVC, especially among OV living in rural settings.