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What if your patient is technology-challenged?


 

How to help technology-challenged patients

Helping patients who have trouble with technology can be expensive and time consuming. Staff may spend a lot of time trying to train or support a patient who is struggling with technology.

Realistically, not every patient will be able to engage through your technology and tools. Some may not have a computer, laptop, or smartphone in their home or a reliable connection to the Internet. Other patients may have trouble affording devices such as tablets or services. Also important, not all smartphones, tablets, and computers may work with your technology base. (For patients who don’t have or can’t afford compatible technology, some state and local initiatives provide such tools to underserved and rural patients in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.)

You may need to assess whether some patients are good candidates for using technology, based on their education, finances, or ability to follow instructions. For those who are not, stick with more frequent office visits and phone-based consultations.

If a patient is unable to use the available tools, document it in your patient record so that you or other clinicians can structure the patient’s treatment plan in accordance with the patient’s abilities.

Going forward, patients may prefer using COVID-19–driven telehealth services in their homes over making a trip to the clinic. If you can put in the effort to ensure that your technologies are relevant and are targeted to the appropriate patients, you’ll be able to provide better care during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the COVID-19–driven changes may become permanent.

Dr. Sterling has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

A version of this article originally appeared on Medscape.com.

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