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. 2022 Jul 15:10:921379.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.921379. eCollection 2022.

Remote Healthcare During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings for Older Adults in 27 European Countries and Israel

Šime Smolić  1 , Nikola Blaževski  1 , Margareta Fabijančić  1
Affiliations

Remote Healthcare During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings for Older Adults in 27 European Countries and Israel

Šime Smolić et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated issues regarding access to healthcare for older people, by far the most vulnerable population group. In particular, older adults avoided seeking medical treatment for fear of infection or had their medical treatments postponed or denied by health facilities or health professionals. In response, remote medical services were recognized as an essential adjustment mechanism to maintain the continuity of healthcare provision. Using the SHARE Corona Survey data, we estimate logistic and multilevel regression models for the remote care of 44,152 persons aged 50 and over in 27 European countries and Israel. Our findings suggest that those aged 80+ were the least likely to use remote healthcare. However, women, better educated individuals, older adults who lived in urban areas, those with no financial strain, and active Internet users used remote medical consultations more often. Those who reported poor or fair health status, two or more chronic diseases, or hospitalization in the last 12 months were significantly more likely to use remote healthcare. Furthermore, remote medical consultations were more frequent for those who had their healthcare postponed or went without it due to fear of coronavirus infection. Finally, older adults used remote care more frequently in countries with less healthcare coverage and lower health expenditures. Health systems should prioritize vulnerable groups in maintaining continuity in access to healthcare, despite the availability of remote care. Policymakers should improve telemedicine regulation and offer incentives for providers of remote healthcare services by adapting reimbursement policies. Remote medical care could play an important role in maintaining healthcare access for older adults and increasing health systems' preparedness in future health emergencies.

Keywords: COVID-19; SHARE Corona Survey; health expenditures; older adults; remote medical consultations; unmet healthcare.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The percentage of respondents aged 50 and over who had remote medical consultations since the outbreak by country (second SCS June–August 2021). Note: Black line represents the sample average–otherwise weighted data with 95% CI.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Estimated probabilities of remote medical consultations for men and women and healthcare forgone or postponed.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Predictive margins at specified values of macro-level variables.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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