Man Ryan Eyn Kidd, Ho Aricia Xin Yi, Lee Ester Pei Xuan, Fenwick Eva Katie Diana, Aravindhan Amudha, Ho Kam Chun, Tan Gavin Siew Wei, Ting Daniel Shu Wei, Wong Tien Yin, Yeo Khung Keong, Goh Su-Yen, Gupta Preeti, Lamoureux Ecosse Luc
Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore.
Duke-NUS Medical School, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Singapore Med J. 2025 May 1;66(5):256-264. doi: 10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2022-117. Epub 2023 Aug 23.
We aimed to understand the awareness and attitudes of elderly Southeast Asians towards telehealth services during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in this study.
In this qualitative study, 78 individuals from Singapore (51.3% female, mean age 73.0 ± 7.6 years) were interviewed via telephone between 13 May 2020 and 9 June 2020 during Singapore's first COVID-19 'circuit breaker'. Participants were asked to describe their understanding of telehealth, their experience of and willingness to utilise these services, and the barriers and facilitators underlying their decision. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis, guided by the United Theory of Acceptance Use of Technology framework.
Of the 78 participants, 24 (30.8%) were able to describe the range of telehealth services available and 15 (19.2%) had previously utilised these services. Conversely, 14 (17.9%) participants thought that telehealth comprised solely home medication delivery and 50 (51.3%) participants did not know about telehealth. Despite the advantages offered by telehealth services, participants preferred in-person consultations due to a perceived lack of human interaction and accuracy of diagnoses, poor digital literacy and a lack of access to telehealth-capable devices.
Our results showed poor overall awareness of the range of telehealth services available among elderly Asian individuals, with many harbouring erroneous views regarding their use. These data suggest that public health education campaigns are needed to improve awareness of and correct negative perceptions towards telehealth services in elderly Asians.
在本研究中，我们旨在了解东南亚老年人在2019年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行期间对远程医疗服务的认知和态度。
在这项定性研究中，于2020年5月13日至2020年6月9日新加坡首次实施COVID-19“断路器”措施期间，通过电话采访了78名来自新加坡的个体（51.3%为女性，平均年龄73.0±7.6岁）。参与者被要求描述他们对远程医疗的理解、使用这些服务的经历和意愿，以及他们做出决定的障碍和促进因素。使用主题分析法对访谈记录进行分析，以技术接受使用统一理论框架为指导。
在78名参与者中，24名（30.8%）能够描述可用的远程医疗服务范围，15名（19.2%）曾使用过这些服务。相反，14名（17.9%）参与者认为远程医疗仅包括送药上门，50名（51.3%）参与者对远程医疗不了解。尽管远程医疗服务有诸多优势，但由于感觉缺乏人际互动和诊断准确性、数字素养差以及无法使用具备远程医疗功能的设备，参与者更喜欢面对面咨询。
我们的结果显示，亚洲老年个体对可用远程医疗服务范围的总体认知较差，许多人对其使用存在错误看法。这些数据表明，需要开展公共卫生教育活动，以提高亚洲老年人对远程医疗服务的认知并纠正其负面看法。
