Chairuengjitjaras Pitchaya, Nimmanterdwong Zethapong, Petchlorlian Aisawan, Praditpornsilpa Kearkiat, Tangkijvanich Pisit
Center of Excellence in Hepatitis and Liver Cancer, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand.
Telemed J E Health. 2025 Mar;31(3):344-353. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2024.0289. Epub 2024 Oct 8.
: Telehealth improves access to health care and potentially leads to better clinical outcomes. However, digital competence could be an essential factor in ensuring its adoption, particularly among older adults. This study evaluated the acceptability and perception of a mobile application platform among Thai older patients with chronic diseases according to their demographics and digital skills. : The demographic information and internet usage profiles of patients with nonmalignant chronic diseases, including chronic viral hepatitis, were collected. Participants were grouped based on their self-perceived digital familiarity. The chi-square test was used to evaluate the associations between the parameters. Among 710 participants (61.7% women, mean age: 66.2 years), digital familiarity was significantly higher among individuals aged <70 years, men, those with a bachelor's degree or higher, those with higher incomes, and Bangkok residents ( < 0.001). In this study, regular use of smartphones and the internet, but not messaging applications, was associated with self-perceived digital familiarity. Of these, 100 participants completed a survey evaluating their satisfaction with and perceptions of telehealth. Participants with greater digital familiarity demonstrated significantly higher satisfaction with telemedicine compared with those with limited ability or relied on caretakers (χ = 70.145, < 0.001). : Our data indicated that a user-friendly mobile application is feasible and acceptable for the management of chronic diseases in older patients. Digital familiarity is an important factor associated with satisfaction with the platform, underscoring the need to bridge digital skill gaps and ensure equitable health care delivery.
远程医疗改善了医疗服务的可及性，并有可能带来更好的临床结果。然而，数字能力可能是确保其得到采用的一个关键因素，尤其是在老年人中。本研究根据泰国老年慢性病患者的人口统计学特征和数字技能，评估了他们对一个移动应用平台的接受度和看法。
收集了包括慢性病毒性肝炎在内的非恶性慢性病患者的人口统计学信息和互联网使用情况。参与者根据他们自我感知的数字熟悉程度进行分组。采用卡方检验来评估各参数之间的关联。在710名参与者中（61.7%为女性，平均年龄：66.2岁），年龄<70岁的个体、男性、拥有学士学位或更高学历的人、收入较高的人和曼谷居民的数字熟悉程度显著更高（<0.001）。在本研究中，经常使用智能手机和互联网，但不包括即时通讯应用程序，与自我感知的数字熟悉程度相关。其中，100名参与者完成了一项调查，评估他们对远程医疗的满意度和看法。与能力有限或依赖照顾者的参与者相比，数字熟悉程度更高的参与者对远程医疗的满意度显著更高（χ = 70.145，<0.001）。
我们的数据表明，一个用户友好的移动应用程序对于老年患者慢性病的管理是可行且可接受的。数字熟悉程度是与对该平台的满意度相关的一个重要因素，这凸显了弥合数字技能差距和确保公平医疗服务提供的必要性。
