The Relationship Between Technology Use and Medication Access in Older Adults in Puerto Rico

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Health Informatics
• Sociology of Health

Background:

• The increasing adoption of digital pharmacy services presents challenges for older adults (aged ≥ 65) due to potential technology barriers.
• Understanding digital inequalities is crucial for ensuring equitable medication access in an evolving healthcare landscape.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess digital inequalities impacting medication access among older adults.
• To develop and psychometrically validate a questionnaire measuring technology use and medication access in this demographic.

Main Methods:

• Development and validation of a Spanish-language questionnaire with a two-factor structure: Technology Use and Medication Access.
• Psychometric analysis, including item discrimination, to evaluate the questionnaire's effectiveness.
• Statistical analysis to explore relationships between education, income, internet access, digital skills, age, and technology perception.

Main Results:

• The questionnaire demonstrated a significant two-factor structure differentiating technology users from non-users in medication access (p < 0.001).
• Higher education correlated with higher income, which in turn related to better internet access and digital skills.
• Younger participants (mean age 72.9) perceived technology as more helpful than older participants (mean age 76.6; p = 0.001).
• Perceived technological usefulness did not significantly correlate with reporting medication acquisition barriers due to technology (p = 0.788).

Conclusions:

• A novel, validated questionnaire effectively identifies digital gaps in pharmacy services for older adults.
• While younger seniors perceive technology more favorably, this perception doesn't directly prevent medication access issues.
• The questionnaire serves as a valuable tool for future research and clinical applications to address digital disparities in medication access.