Industry News | 01.22.25
Older Adults' Digital Health Use Varies by Race, Other Factors
By NAMSS Staff
TechTarget (01/15/25) Vaidya, Anuja
A research letter, published in JAMA Network Open, suggests that demographic factors such as sex and age can impact the utilization of digital health technologies (DHTs). As part of the National Poll on Healthy Aging, University of Michigan and Veteran Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System researchers assessed data on the use of patient portals, telehealth and other DHTs from adults age 50 to 80. Of the 2,110 respondents, more than 80% reported using a digital health device, of which 64.55% used a patient portal, 49.1% used a telehealth tool, and 44% used an mHealth app. Female respondents were more likely to use DHTs than men (53.4% vs. 46.6%). Additionally, adults ages 50 to 59 were more likely to report digital health technology use than those 60 and older. Researchers also found just 11.4% and 11.9% of Black and Hispanic adults, respectively, used DHTs, while 70.2% of white adults did so. "This study highlights the need to carefully consider the unique characteristics of older adults when developing and deploying DHTs to avoid worsening the digital divide," they said.
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