Technology, Social Media, and Telemedicine Utilization for Rural Hand and Upper-Extremity Patients

To define technology and social media use among rural upper-extremity patients. In addition, we aimed to assess how patients use social media in relation to health care and their willingness to participate in telemedicine programs.

An anonymous multiple-choice written survey was administered to 550 upper-extremity patients at 4 rural outreach clinics. Demographic information was obtained, as was social media use, habits and interests. We compared both users and nonusers of social media to define demographic differences between these groups.

A total of 412 patients completed surveys and were included in our analysis (75%); 225 reported using social media (55%). Of the respondents, 67% had a high school education or less and 60% reported an income of less than $50,000/y with an unemployment rate of 58%. In addition, 28% reported not owning a smartphone and 20% lacked home Internet access. Multivariable regression demonstrated that age, female sex, and home Internet access were all independently associated with increased social media use. Facebook was the most frequently used social media platform. Moreover, 42% were interested in telemedicine and social media users were significantly more likely to be interested in telemedicine programs compared with non-social media users.

Within a population of rural and economically disadvantaged upper-extremity patients, 55% currently use social media; 32% used these platforms to research health conditions. Whereas younger female patients with home Internet access were more likely to use social media, older patients were more likely to use these platforms to research health conditions.

As more health information moves on-line and as telemedicine programs continue to evolve, some rural upper-extremity patients may still have technological barriers in the form of smartphone and computer ownership as well as a lack of home Internet access.