Background <p>Digital health technologies have developed and significantly diffused during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as a solution to reach patients with chronic conditions. Trust in these technologies is a principal component of the interaction and essential for its effectiveness. For this reason, the study analyzes trust in digital health technologies among older people living in remote areas in Italy to promote access to remote care.</p> Method <p>The study is based on a multiple-choice paper-based survey (<i>n</i> = 2073) on the propensity to use digital technologies distributed to the over-65s in remote areas of four regions of Italy in 2022. We evaluated, through a latent class model and a latent class regression model for polytomous outcomes, the probability that they trust health technology tools, inferred from specific behavior and attitude.</p> Results <p>Two latent classes were identified, interpreted as higher and lower levels of trust in digital health. The majority of respondents in our sample were classified in the higher-trust group, indicating a generally favorable orientation toward digital health technologies, despite relatively low levels of actual use.</p> Conclusion <p>This evidence may inform healthcare policies for older adults living in remote areas, for whom digital health technologies have the potential to support more personalized and accessible care.</p>

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Trust in digital health among older adults in remote areas of Italy: a latent class analysis

  • Andrea Vandelli,
  • Gaia Bertarelli,
  • Milena Vainieri

摘要

Background

Digital health technologies have developed and significantly diffused during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as a solution to reach patients with chronic conditions. Trust in these technologies is a principal component of the interaction and essential for its effectiveness. For this reason, the study analyzes trust in digital health technologies among older people living in remote areas in Italy to promote access to remote care.

Method

The study is based on a multiple-choice paper-based survey (n = 2073) on the propensity to use digital technologies distributed to the over-65s in remote areas of four regions of Italy in 2022. We evaluated, through a latent class model and a latent class regression model for polytomous outcomes, the probability that they trust health technology tools, inferred from specific behavior and attitude.

Results

Two latent classes were identified, interpreted as higher and lower levels of trust in digital health. The majority of respondents in our sample were classified in the higher-trust group, indicating a generally favorable orientation toward digital health technologies, despite relatively low levels of actual use.

Conclusion

This evidence may inform healthcare policies for older adults living in remote areas, for whom digital health technologies have the potential to support more personalized and accessible care.