JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Technological communication supports such as phone-calls or video-calls could help prevent social isolation and loneliness in frail older adults during confinement.

Objective:

Our objectives were to determine i) which virtual communication modality (i.e. phone-call versus video-call) was preferred by confined older patients and residents, and ii) the variables influencing this choice.

Methods:

Cross-sectional study examining the preference between phone-calls and video-calls among frail older adults either hospitalized in a geriatric acute care unit (GACU) or institutionalized in a long-term care and nursing-home (LTC/NH) during COVID-19 confinement.

Results:

A total of 132 seniors were included between March 25 and May 11, 2020 (mean±SD, 88.2±6.2 years; 59% women). Patients hospitalized in GACU were more often independent to establish communication than residents institutionalized in LTC/NH (P=0.026) and were more satisfied (P=0.019). Overall, seniors tended to favor phone-calls over video-calls (55% versus 45%), but their satisfaction degree was similar regardless of the device chosen (P=0.10), with no effect of age (P=0.97) or gender (P=0.16). In GACU, the satisfaction degree was similar between phone-calls and video-calls in older patients (98% versus 87%, P=0.10). Conversely, in LTC/NH, residents were more satisfied with the use of video-calls to communicate with their relatives (93% versus 50%, P=0.024).

Conclusions:

Seniors confined to healthcare settings were more independent with phone-calls than with video-calls, and tended to use the telephone more often. Their satisfaction with video-calls was however important when they were helped to establish communication.