Ageism in healthcare technology: the older patients’ aspirations for improved online accessibility (13 July 2022)

Summary

This cross-sectional study in JAMIA Open aimed to identify concerns, barriers and facilitators impacting the use of patient portals by older patients, as well as desired features in future updates. The authors held two focus group discussions culminating in an anonymous survey completed by women who were 65 years and older receiving urogynaecology care in Northwest Ohio.

The authors concluded that the lack of age-aligned medical access software and products may lead to worsening digital exclusion and disparities in healthcare. Portal application developers and healthcare systems must advance efforts that consider the needs of those who are older when designing patient portals.