Older Patient Preferences, Comfort, and Challenges With Telemedicine Physician Visits

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Health Informatics
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• The rapid integration of digital health tools has transformed healthcare delivery.
• Older adults represent a growing demographic with unique healthcare needs and technology adoption patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the comfort levels of older adults with virtual visit technologies.
• To identify factors influencing the adoption and usability of telehealth services among the elderly population.

Main Methods:

• A survey-based approach was employed to gather data from a diverse group of older adults.
• Quantitative analysis was used to determine comfort levels and correlate them with demographic and technological factors.

Main Results:

• A significant proportion of older adults reported moderate to high comfort levels with virtual visits.
• Factors such as prior technology experience and perceived usefulness positively correlated with comfort.

Conclusions:

• Virtual visit technologies are a viable and increasingly accepted modality for healthcare among older adults.
• Future interventions should focus on enhancing digital literacy and addressing specific barriers to optimize telehealth accessibility for seniors.