Telemedicine Readiness Across Medical Conditions in a US National Representative Sample of Older Adults

Abstract

Telemedicine has provided older adults the ability to seek care remotely during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. However, it is unclear how diverse medical conditions play a role in telemedicine uptake. A total of 3379 participants (≥65 years) were interviewed in 2018 as part of the National Health and Aging Trends Study. We assessed telemedicine readiness across multiple medical conditions. Most chronic medical conditions and mood symptoms were significantly associated with telemedicine unreadiness, for physical or technical reasons or both, while cancer, hypertension, and arthritis were significantly associated with telemedicine readiness. Our findings suggest that multiple medical conditions play a substantial role in telemedicine uptake among older adults in the US. Therefore, comorbidities should be taken into consideration when promoting and adopting telemedicine technologies among older adults.

The relationship between therapeutic alliance, frequency of consultation and uptake of telemedicine among patients seeking treatment for early psychosis: A moderated mediation model

“… 58 Similarly, studies have shown that the presence of chronic medical conditions deters older adults from accepting telemedicine. 59 Therefore, given the telemedicine readiness among younger adults, telemedicine should be offered to this group to enhance access, adherence, and favourable treatment outcomes.…”

Introducing the Pi-CON Methodology to Overcome Usability Deficits during Remote Patient Monitoring

“…In addition to considering how physical characteristics may negatively impact the way patients interact with PGHD devices, designing technology for patients with psychiatric disabilities or conditions, such as anxiety disorders, depression, or autism spectrum disorders is necessary [22]. Rodríguez-Fernández et al report that around 13 million adults in the US may be challenged to adopt a Telehealth service due to difficulties [23], and Vázquez-de Sebastián et al add that a patient's sensory limitations may hinder the use in mobile health technologies [24]. What can cause this lack of adherence is that these devices may not have been designed with these users in mind.…”

Acculturation and Disparities in Telemedicine Readiness: A National Study

“…The present work is a cross-sectional study of community-dwelling participants from the 2018 National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), which included 363 individuals (Freedman & Kasper, 2019). Of these, 12 (3.3%) participants were excluded because they were noncommunity residents (residential care or nursing home) and 48 (13.2%) because of cognitive decline, as detailed elsewhere (Rodríguez-Fernández et al, 2017;Rodríguez-Fernández et al, 2022). The remaining 303 individuals were included in the analysis.…”