PhD student Washington University in St. Louis, United States
Overview: With empirical evidence about older adults’ intention to adopt telemedicine, the current study provides a better understanding of how to help older adults utilize telemedicine with social workers and healthcare providers serving the older population.Proposal text: The long-running COVID-19 pandemic has catalyzed a rapid adoption of telemedicine. Older adults are especially among the populations that could benefit most from the use of telemedicine because of their lower mobility and higher risks of comorbidities. However, evidence has shown that older adults are less likely to use telemedicine than their younger peers. Although multiple reasons for this are known to date, a comprehensive examination of what determine older adults’ adoption of telemedicine has not been made. Therefore, we examined those determinants in this study to provide a better understanding of how to help older adults utilize telemedicine with social workers and healthcare providers serving the older population. Guided by the Technological-Personal-Environmental (TPE) framework, seven potential determinants were examined. A cross-sectional survey answered by 189 adults aged 60 or older in the United States from February 2021 to August 2021 was used for this study. As a result of multiple linear regression analysis, older adults with stronger digital confidence (β = .32, p < .001), prior experience of using telemedicine (β = .34, p < .001), more groups of people who help with digital skills (β = .13, p < .05), and more acquaintances using telemedicine (β = .16, p < .01) had higher intention to adopt telemedicine than those without. In contrast, those who were satisfied with in-person visits to doctor (β = -.17, p < .01) showed lower intention than those who were dissatisfied. Findings of this study will contribute to designing effective programs and services to support a better utilization of telemedicine among older adults.
