Kim Yijung K, Ang Shannon
The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.
Res Aging. 2023 Oct-Dec;45(9-10):609-619. doi: 10.1177/01640275221147642. Epub 2022 Dec 23.
We investigated the association between functional limitations and telehealth use among older Medicare beneficiaries in 2020. We use logistic regression models to estimate associations between functional limitations and the use of technological tools (i.e., computers, Internet, telehealth). We consider Internet use and informal technological support as moderators for telehealth use. Respondents ( = 3151; = 78.31) with more functional limitations were more likely to use video-based telehealth. Net of functional limitations, those with a consistent Internet use were more likely to use emails/texts/portal messages to communicate with a healthcare provider. Further, more functional limitations were associated with a higher probability of using emails/texts/portal messages, but only among respondents who received informal technological support. Healthcare access may have been more difficult for older adults with functional limitations during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for those with little prior experience with the Internet, or those without friends/family to provide technological support.
我们调查了2020年老年医疗保险受益人群中功能受限与远程医疗使用之间的关联。我们使用逻辑回归模型来估计功能受限与技术工具（即计算机、互联网、远程医疗）使用之间的关联。我们将互联网使用和非正式技术支持视为远程医疗使用的调节因素。功能受限更多的受访者（n = 3151；平均年龄 = 78.31岁）更有可能使用基于视频的远程医疗。在排除功能受限因素后，经常使用互联网的人更有可能使用电子邮件/短信/门户消息与医疗服务提供者进行沟通。此外，功能受限更多与使用电子邮件/短信/门户消息的可能性更高相关，但仅在接受非正式技术支持的受访者中如此。在2019冠状病毒病大流行期间，功能受限的老年人获得医疗服务可能更加困难，尤其是那些以前很少有互联网使用经验，或者没有朋友/家人提供技术支持的人。
