Open AccessDisparity on Online Patient-Provider Communication and Implications for a Post-COVID Era
Author(s) -
Erin Robinson
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
innovation in aging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2399-5300
DOI - 10.1093/geroni/igab046.2241
Subject(s) - phone , pandemic , the internet , telemedicine , health care , covid-19 , internet privacy , mobile phone , telehealth , cohort , information and communications technology , descriptive statistics , business , medicine , computer science , world wide web , telecommunications , political science , statistics , disease , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law , philosophy , linguistics , mathematics
Online patient-provider communication (OPPC) increases access to health-related information, enhances self-care, and reduces healthcare expenditures. We investigated OPPC and technology use changes during 6 years. This descriptive cohort analysis involved data collected from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) between 2011-2016 and during the pandemic (2020). NHATS consist of a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries. From a total of N=2,389, we assigned cohorts as those who: (1) own computers (High-Tech, 56.1%), (2) own cell phone only or don’t own computer nor cell phones (Low-Tech, 20.2%), and (3) just adopted cell phone or computers (Transition, 23.7%). Only the High-Tech users increased OPPC by 75% over 2011-2016; others remained the same. During the pandemic more participants used mobile technology and internet. Newly adopting technology on its own does not automatically increase OPPC. It is important for Transition users to access training and support to benefit from OPPC.