Factors that influence the preferences for telehealth among family caregivers of disabled elders: a qualitative study

Background

Family caregivers of the disabled elderly lack adequate support in their caregiving process. Telehealth has significantly alleviated the burden on family caregivers, both subjectively and objectively. It is currently utilized in family care settings for various populations, including disabled elderly individuals and children. Nevertheless, the use of telehealth among family caregivers for disabled elderly people is limited, and the factors that affect this phenomenon are not yet fully understood.

Objective

The goal of this qualitative research was to explore the factors affecting family caregivers' preferences regarding telehealth services for disabled elderly individuals.

Methods

This qualitative research employed semi-structured interviews. Four focus group interviews were conducted with 20 family caregivers of disabled older people. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The results were analyzed through thematic content analysis.

Results

The study found that there were two main factors influencing preferences: barriers of carergivers' use of telehealth, and facilitators of carergivers' use of telehealth. Barriers of carergivers' use of telehealth included learning capacity, acceptance of telehealth, differences in treatment modalities, health self-management capability, habituation to medical care, job, cost, limitations, operation experience, quality of care in nursing homes, convenience of medical treatment and popularisation. Facilitators of carergivers' use of telehealth included convenience and professionalism and authority of healthcare professionals.

Conclusions

This study identified a series of factors that appear to influence the preference of family caregivers of elderly individuals with disabilities for telehealth in the context of conducting home care. These factors should be considered when designing and developing telehealth for conducting home care.