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Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Aging

Date Submitted: Apr 4, 2024
Date Accepted: Jun 4, 2024

The final, peer-reviewed published version of this preprint can be found here:

Understanding Older Adults’ Experiences With a Digital Health Platform in General Practice: Qualitative Interview Study

Knotnerus HR, Ngo HTN, Maarsingh OR, van Vugt VA

Understanding Older Adults’ Experiences With a Digital Health Platform in General Practice: Qualitative Interview Study

JMIR Aging 2024;7:e59168

DOI: 10.2196/59168

PMID: 39212599

PMCID: 11378695

Understanding Older Adults’ Experiences with a Digital Health Platform in General Practice: a Qualitative Interview Study

  • Hanna R. Knotnerus; 
  • Hà T. N. Ngo; 
  • Otto R. Maarsingh; 
  • Vincent A. van Vugt

ABSTRACT

Background:

In our aging population, primary care is under pressure to remain accessible to all. Effective usage of digital healthcare could potentially lower general practitioners’ (GPs) workload. Some general practices are already implementing a digital health platform as a primary method to contact their patients. However, it is unknown how older people experience this novel way to communicate with their GP.

Objective:

To study the experiences of patients aged 65 years and older in general practices that employ digital health as a primary communication tool. Secondary aims were to identify barriers and facilitators for usage of digital healthcare, and whether a practice focus on digital health influences older patients’ choice to enlist.

Methods:

We invited all patients aged 65 years and older at two general practices in Amsterdam that work with a novel digital health platform. We used purposive sampling to select a heterogeneous group of patients in terms of age, sex, level of education, digital literacy and experiences with the digital application of their general practice. We conducted 18 semi-structured interviews from May through July 2023. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, coded and thematically analyzed.

Results:

We identified three themes: (1) experiences of older people with digital healthcare in general practice; (2) impact of individual factors on digital health experiences; and (3) reasons for choosing a digitally oriented general practice. Participants reported both positive and negative experiences. Main perceived advantages of the digital health platform were increased accessibility, direct GP contact without an intermediary, and saving time through asynchronous communication. Disadvantages mentioned were login difficulties, and problems with the automated explanatory questionnaire. Individual factors such as age, digital literacy and expectations of general practice care seemed to impact people’s experiences and could act as barriers or facilitators for using digital health. Reasons for older patients to enlist at a general practice were mainly practical. The digital orientation of the practice hardly played a role in this choice.

Conclusions:

Older patients in general practice see benefits to using a digital health platform that offers two-way chat-based communication between patient and GP. We found that individual factors such as skills, norms and values, attitudes towards digitalization and expectations of general practice care impacted older patients’ experiences with digital healthcare. For many older participants the digital profile of the general practice did not play a role in their choice to enlist. Further improvement of digital health platforms will be necessary to ensure digital health for all in general practice. Clinical Trial: Not applicable


 Citation

Please cite as:

Knotnerus HR, Ngo HTN, Maarsingh OR, van Vugt VA

Understanding Older Adults’ Experiences With a Digital Health Platform in General Practice: Qualitative Interview Study

JMIR Aging 2024;7:e59168

DOI: 10.2196/59168

PMID: 39212599

PMCID: 11378695

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