Identifying Digital Health Technology Engagement and Frustration Phenotypes in Patients with Multiple Chronic Conditions: Evidences from a Nationally Representative Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

This cross-sectional study analyzed nationally representative data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 7, 2024) to examine patterns of digital health technology (DHT) use and the associations among multimorbidity, DHT adoption, and user-reported frustration (N=3,753). Adults with multimorbidity used more DHT types on average (mean=3.9 vs. 3.6, p<0.001) yet reported significantly higher frustration (61.2% vs. 54.1%, p<0.001) compared to those with a single chronic condition. Multivariable regression identified higher income and education were associated with reduced frustration, and greater DHT engagement independently predicted lower frustration (OR=0.78, 95% CI: 0.71-0.87). Phenotypic analysis revealed a high-risk subgroup of multimorbid, low DHT users with older age and lower socioeconomic status (SES), exhibiting the highest frustration prevalence (60.3%). These findings underscore the need for targeted digital literacy support and user-centered design to alleviate digital health burden in complex chronic disease populations.