Grandma May Not Use Telemedicine, and that’s OK.    
[Thursday, August 6, 2020]
A couple of reports this week show disparity in the use of telemedicine in older individuals. Adults older than 72 years of age were found to prefer in-person visits over telemedicine highlighting a hurdle in the expansion of telemedicine. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The data can be used to prioritize in-person visits for older adults while expanding telemedicine for the younger populations. Both studies by independent groups found that individuals older than 72 years of age preferred in-person visits with their doctors due to either lack of access to computers or smart phones with internet, or due to inability to communicate via electronic means such as video or audio calls. Telemedicine offers faster, efficient, and less expensive option to routine medical interactions. But this technology requires high-speed internet access, and use of virtual tools for scheduling appointment, providing feedback to providers, and interacting with a screen. For older adults who are used to in-person interactions with their physicians or have physical challenges such as weaker vision and hearing, it is not only harder but could be riskier if there are miscommunications. Such adults should not be pushed to telemedicine. There are two potential approaches. First, telemedicine protocols can be developed specially for the older adults involving customized user interfaces and personalized communication tools. Wearable technologies can be employed to automated measurements and real-time monitoring reducing the information collected via direct interactions with the patient. Second, telemedicine can be offered as a second option to in-person visits, so adults who are able to, can use telemedicine while others can continue interacting in person. Seems like common sense. My grandma may not like telemedicine the way I do, and there is no reason to expect her to. Telemedicine is not for everyone and that’s ok.