“I’m still struggling with it, and it scares me” : a qualitative analysis of older adults’ experiences with digital health portals during and after COVID-19

Hvalič Touzery, Simona (author), Laznik, Jerneja (author), Petrovčič, Andraž (author)

Objective: The scaling of digital health platforms, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has globally reshaped the delivery of healthcare services, presenting both opportunities and challenges. Ensuring equitable access, especially for digitally disadvantaged groups, is a critical concern, and this study explores older adults’ perspectives on digital health platforms during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and examines their strategies for coping with the general challenges of the digitalization of health. Methods: A total of 77 older adults (aged at least 65), including both internet users and non-users, participated in 11 focus group sessions in Slovenia between September and December 2022. Hybrid thematic analysis was used to develop an understanding of the challenges confronted by older adults in the digital health landscape. Results: Three key themes emerged from the focus group sessions, which highlight digital inequalities that impact access to digital health platforms and their services: the challenges of digitalized health services, coping with these challenges, and the outcomes of health service digitalization. The “digital health paradox” is evident, in which opportunities are provided for some while access is limited for those unwilling or unable to use digital health platforms. Proxy users, often family or friends, help bridge this gap. Conclusions: Ensuring the availability and viability of traditional health service access is crucial for empowering older adults to choose between digital health platforms and alternatives. Recognizing the importance of traditional approaches is vital, and healthcare providers and policymakers should prioritize inclusivity to ensure a diverse and equitable healthcare system for older adults and vulnerable populations.

• Language: English
• Keywords: healthcare disparities, patient portals, digital health, health inequality, internet use, internet access, aging
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 25.07.2024
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 1-13
• Numbering: Vol. 10
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-163125
• UDC: 316.47:004.738.5:616-036.22 (497.4)
• ISSN on article: 2055-2076
• DOI: 10.1177/205520762412822
• COBISS.SI-ID: 209826563
• Publication date in RUL: 02.10.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Digital health
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• ISSN: 2055-2076
• COBISS.SI-ID: 526076953

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: Razlike v zdravstvenem varstvu, portali za bolnike, digitalno zdravje, neenakost v zdravju, uporaba interneta, dostop do interneta, staranje, portali za bolnike, digitalno zdravje, neenakost v zdravju, uporaba interneta, dostop do interneta, staranje