Experiencing Telemedicine: Insights into Elderly Patients’ Telehealth Interactions in Remote Indonesian Communities
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Abstract
Telemedicine, a key advancement in medical informatics, is reshaping healthcare delivery by enabling remote consultations, particularly in underserved regions. While the technology promises greater accessibility, few studies have explored how elderly patients in remote areas personally experience these digital interactions. Despite its growing implementation, limited knowledge exists about the emotional and cognitive responses of older adults to such systems, especially outside urban areas. This study seeks to answer the following question: What are the lived experiences of elderly patients using telemedicine in remote settings?
Using a descriptive phenomenological approach, this study uncovers how elderly individuals construct meaning around their use of telemedicine platforms. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten elderly participants from remote regions of Indonesia, and data were analyzed thematically. The results revealed three key themes: initial technological anxiety and gradual adaptation, emotional distance and trust issues in remote consultations, and ambivalence regarding the perceived quality and accessibility of digital care. These findings illustrate that elderly patients' adoption of telemedicine is influenced not only by digital literacy but also by emotional readiness and relational expectations.
This study broadens our understanding of how telemedicine is experienced by vulnerable users and highlights the need for empathetic, culturally sensitive telehealth design in policy and practice.
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