RN, Grad Cert ClinMan, PhD, Action Research Fellow, COVID-19 Primary Care Response Group (seconded), Primary Care Division, Australian Government Department of Health, Canberra, ACT; Research Manager, Rural Clinical School, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT.
RN, RM, MPH, PhD, Action Research Fellow, COVID-19 Primary Care Response Group (seconded), Primary Care Division, Australian Government Department of Health, Canberra, ACT; Senior Research Fellow, Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT.
Aust J Gen Pract. 2022 Sep;51(9):721-724. doi: 10.31128/AJGP-03-22-6358.
Telehealth and other digital modes of care have been widely introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and have enabled access to healthcare while reducing community transmission and keeping patients and practitioners safe. However, the benefits of telehealth are not evenly distributed, and may perpetuate some forms of disadvantage.
While the 'digital divide' is often understood in socioeconomic terms or geographic terms, the reasons for digital exclusion among older people may vary. The aim of this article is to explore what is known about this issue.
Emerging insights from the pandemic suggest that there may be multiple reasons why older people are not able to effectively access or engage with health technologies despite their availability. These barriers should inform ongoing efforts to develop telehealth services that meet population needs and sustain their use beyond the pandemic.
为应对 COVID-19 大流行，远程医疗和其他数字医疗模式已被广泛采用，这使人们能够获得医疗保健，同时减少了社区传播，保障了患者和医务人员的安全。然而，远程医疗的好处并不均等，它可能会使某些形式的劣势永久化。
虽然“数字鸿沟”通常是从社会经济或地理位置的角度来理解的，但老年人被排斥在数字世界之外的原因可能有所不同。本文旨在探讨这方面的问题。
大流行期间出现的新观点表明，尽管老年人可以获得健康技术，但他们可能由于多种原因而无法有效地使用或参与其中。这些障碍应该为正在努力开发远程医疗服务提供信息，这些服务应该满足人口需求，并在大流行之后维持其使用。
