Veteran Use of Technology to Access Healthcare Services

Barbara Kozminski, MD (University of Washington, Seattle, Washington); Merica Suthiboon, OTR/L; Matthew Stutzenberger, Occupational Therapist, OTR/L; Scott Campea, MD

Meeting: AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2021

Categories: Practice Management, Leadership, and Quality Improvement (2021)

Session Information

Session Title: AA 2021 Virtual Posters - Practice Management, Leadership, and Quality Improvement

Session Time: None. Available on demand.

Disclosures: Barbara Kozminski, MD: No financial relationships or conflicts of interest

Objective: Technology has played a critical role in access to health services in rehabilitation care since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinician experience suggests there may be gaps in access and patients’ skills to use the available services. We aimed to identify factors affecting engagement with online health services among veterans undergoing rehabilitation services. This includes interest, technology literacy, and access to hardware.

Design: Cross-sectional surveySetting : Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit and Community Living Center.Participants : 25 male veterans with average age 64.5 (range 39-79)

Interventions: Not applicable

Main Outcome Measures: Internally generated questionnaire.

Results: Interest: 56% of our sample already use MyHealtheVet, a secure online healthcare portal. Most of those not using the service are interested in enrolling (82%). Only 16% of participants currently use the VA Video Connect (VVC), a platform for telehealth encounters. 71% of those not using VVC, would like to enroll. Technology Literacy: Although most participants endorse having an email account (88%), almost 1/3 do not know their email address or password (29%). 92% of participants felt comfortable with turning on and off devices and 88% with adjusting volume. However, participants frequently endorse trouble with downloading new VA applications, accessing email, and starting video calls. Hardware Access: Though most people have at least one device (smartphone, laptop, tablet, or desktop computer; 84%), lack of hardware is notable (16%). Smartphones are the most common hardware.Conclusions: Although many veterans may be interested in using technology to access health services; most do not. Primary barriers are lack of technology-related skills, notably accessing email, using video conferencing, and downloading applications. Furthermore, a substantial portion does not have access to hardware at all. These areas provide clear targets for interdisciplinary education and training interventions.

Level of Evidence: Level IV

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Kozminski B, Suthiboon M, Stutzenberger M, Campea S. Veteran Use of Technology to Access Healthcare Services [abstract]. PM R. 2021; 13(S1)(suppl 1). https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/veteran-use-of-technology-to-access-healthcare-services/. Accessed May 11, 2025.

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