Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Dec 13, 2025
Date Accepted: May 4, 2026
Experiences of Home-Dwelling Older Adults and Their Family Caregivers with Digital Health Services: Qualitative Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
As population aging intensifies, demand for health services among older adults and their caregivers continues to rise. Digital health services are considered an important means to address this need. However, their acceptance and actual experiences vary among older adults and caregivers.
Objective:
This study aims to explore the specific experiences of home-dwelling older adults and their caregivers with digital health services, identify their willingness to use these services, influencing factors, and service needs, in order to inform the subsequent design of digital health products and service optimization.
Methods:
From December 2023 to February 2024, researchers used purposive and maximum variation sampling to recruit older adults and caregivers from seven community health service centers in Hefei City and the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University. Open-ended, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted separately with older adults and caregivers. The interview data were analyzed using conventional content analysis.
Results:
Eighteen older adults and 17 caregivers participated in this study, with 10 matched older adult-caregiver pairs. The interview results yielded one central theme, four subthemes, 15 categories, and 16 subcategories. The central theme was the experience of home-dwelling older adults and their caregivers with digital health services. The subthemes were: types of services used, specific service experiences, influencing factors, suggestions, and expectations.
Conclusions:
While older adults acknowledged the advantages of digital health services, their experiences with these services were suboptimal. In contrast, caregivers showed greater appreciation for the convenience and efficiency of digital services, yet their actual use remained low. Future efforts should focus on enhancing older adults' experiences with digital health services through interventions at three levels: government policies, service providers, and social support systems.
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