During a national or international health emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and even much lesser events, communication between healthcare providers and vulnerable populations is crucial.
Older adults are using smartphones more than ever — in part due to the pandemic — but there is a need both for improving technology and developing more “robust strategies” to provide them information effectively.
That’s according to a study that analyzed text messaging to more than 17,000 seniors diagnosed with COVID during the initial rollout of the vaccine.
Researchers found that, when responding to an invitation to receive the vaccine, more than a quarter of seniors experienced technical problems. Roughly 1 in 13 seniors who were interested in getting the vaccine didn’t respond to text invitations properly, either due to responding in the wrong format, responding too late, or asking for and not receiving assistance.
The researchers recommended several improvements to text campaigns, including more flexible response formats, natural language processing and better feedback.
Notoriously, social media offered a deluge of misinformation on COVID and the vaccines, at a rate one non-related study categorized as an “infodemic.”
Some of the issues of texting and vaccine communication are mitigated by care facility support, and new options for tech literacy training that residents can take. Some training specifically targets rural and underserved communities.
During the pandemic, many facilities embraced technology not just for health communication but for residents’ overall wellbeing as well.
Studies from this year also show that since the pandemic, seniors have increasingly adopted technology, with a majority of seniors — just over 60% — now owning smartphones. The case report on texting, which is available for open review, was published this month in the journal JAMIA Open.
