Digital health platforms for the elderly? Key adoption and usage barriers and ways to address them

Digital healthcare platforms (DHPs) represent a relatively new phenomenon that could provide a valuable complement to physical primary care – for example, by reducing costs, improving access to healthcare, and allowing patient monitoring. However, such platforms are mainly used today by the younger generations, which creates a “digital divide” between the younger and the elderly. This article aims to identify: i) the perceived key barriers that inhibit adoption and usage of DHPs by the elderly, and ii) what DHP providers can do to facilitate increased adoption and usage by the elderly. The article draws on qualitative interviews with elderly and complementary process data from a major Swedish DHP. We find that the elderly perceives two key barriers to initial adoption of DHPs: i) negative attitudes and technology anxiety and ii) one key barrier affecting both adoption and usage – lack of trust. The analysis also identifies multiple development suggestions for DHP improvement to better accommodate the needs of the elderly, including suggestions for application development and tailored education activities. We provide an integrated framework outlining the key barriers perceived and ways to address them. In so doing, we contribute to the literature on mHealth and to the literature on platforms in healthcare.