Abdulaziz M Alodhialah, Ashwaq A Almutairi, Mohammed Almutairi
{"title":"Telehealth Adoption Among Saudi Older Adults: A Qualitative Analysis of Utilization and Barriers.","authors":"Abdulaziz M Alodhialah, Ashwaq A Almutairi, Mohammed Almutairi","doi":"10.3390/healthcare12232470","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/objectives: </strong>The rapid adoption of telehealth services has been significantly accelerated by the need for accessible healthcare solutions, especially among older adults. However, the utilization of telehealth remains limited in many regions, including Saudi Arabia. This study aims to identify the barriers and facilitators influencing telehealth adoption among older adults in Riyadh.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A qualitative phenomenological approach was employed, involving semi-structured interviews with 25 participants aged 60 and above. Thematic analysis was utilized to analyze the data, allowing for the identification of key themes related to participants' experiences with telehealth services.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Four main themes emerged from the analysis: access to technology and connectivity, attitudes toward telehealth, support systems, and institutional and policy factors. Participants reported challenges such as low digital literacy and unreliable Internet access, along with the need for trust in healthcare providers. Family support and the desire for training resources were highlighted as important facilitators of telehealth utilization.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings indicate that addressing barriers such as digital literacy and connectivity is crucial for enhancing telehealth utilization among older adults. Implementing strategies that promote education, strengthen support systems, and improve policy frameworks is essential for facilitating greater engagement with telehealth services in this demographic.</p>","PeriodicalId":12977,"journal":{"name":"Healthcare","volume":"12 23","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Healthcare","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12232470","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background/objectives: The rapid adoption of telehealth services has been significantly accelerated by the need for accessible healthcare solutions, especially among older adults. However, the utilization of telehealth remains limited in many regions, including Saudi Arabia. This study aims to identify the barriers and facilitators influencing telehealth adoption among older adults in Riyadh.
Methods: A qualitative phenomenological approach was employed, involving semi-structured interviews with 25 participants aged 60 and above. Thematic analysis was utilized to analyze the data, allowing for the identification of key themes related to participants' experiences with telehealth services.
Results: Four main themes emerged from the analysis: access to technology and connectivity, attitudes toward telehealth, support systems, and institutional and policy factors. Participants reported challenges such as low digital literacy and unreliable Internet access, along with the need for trust in healthcare providers. Family support and the desire for training resources were highlighted as important facilitators of telehealth utilization.
Conclusions: The findings indicate that addressing barriers such as digital literacy and connectivity is crucial for enhancing telehealth utilization among older adults. Implementing strategies that promote education, strengthen support systems, and improve policy frameworks is essential for facilitating greater engagement with telehealth services in this demographic.
期刊介绍：
Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032) is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal (free for readers), which publishes original theoretical and empirical work in the interdisciplinary area of all aspects of medicine and health care research. Healthcare publishes Original Research Articles, Reviews, Case Reports, Research Notes and Short Communications. We encourage researchers to publish their experimental and theoretical results in as much detail as possible. For theoretical papers, full details of proofs must be provided so that the results can be checked; for experimental papers, full experimental details must be provided so that the results can be reproduced. Additionally, electronic files or software regarding the full details of the calculations, experimental procedure, etc., can be deposited along with the publication as “Supplementary Material”.
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
分享
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
扫码关注我们
