SynthesisJournal of medical Internet research2021
Effects of Digital Technologies on Older People's Access to Health and Social Care: Umbrella Review.
Synthesis in Journal of medical Internet research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Supporting older people through Hospital at Home care: a systematic review of patient, carer and healthcare professionals' perspectives.Age and ageing · 2025Pooled it
- Trial
- Community Readiness Model Applied in Older Adults for the Promotion of Digital Cognitive Training: Mixed Methods Feasibility Study.JMIR aging · 2026Trial
- Enhanced recruitment methods for a dietary intervention trial aimed at reducing risk of colorectal cancer.Contemporary clinical trials · 2026Article
- Article
- Article
- Excluded by design: a qualitative study of inequalities in health and social care innovation.International journal for equity in health · 2026Article
- Internet use and health among older adults in China: Indirect associations through social participation and physical activity.PloS one · 2026Article
- Editorial: Tracing loneliness in aging: understanding the interplay and exploring innovative interventions.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Symptom tracking for endometriosis: a systematic review protocol for mobile applications focused on content, inclusivity and features.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Association Between Digital Isolation and Sleep Disorders in Older Adults: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Study Using National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) Data.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Technological and Socio-Demographic Factors Influencing Telemedicine Literacy in Trinidad and Tobago: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Multidimensional Approach.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Association Between Digital Front Doors and Social Care Use for Community-Dwelling Adults in England: Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Digital Inclusion Pathways and Influencing Factors Among Older Adults in Outpatient Settings: A Grounded Theory Study.Clinical interventions in aging · 2025Article
- Digital health technologies for metabolic disorders in older adults: a scoping review protocol.BMJ open · 2024Article
- Experiences and Views of Older Adults of South Asian, Black African, and Caribbean Backgrounds About the Digitalization of Primary Care Services Since the COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative Focus Group Study.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- Toward a Medication Information Literacy Indicator System for Older Adults: A Delphi Study.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2024Article
- Technology and Access to Healthcare with Different Scheduling Systems: A Scoping Review.Healthcare informatics research · 2024Article
- Older Adults' Continuance Intentions for Online Physical Exercise Classes.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Barriers to and Facilitators of Older People's Engagement With Web-Based Services: Qualitative Study of Adults Aged >75 Years.JMIR aging · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe 2020 COVID-19 pandemic prompted the rapid implementation of new and existing digital technologies to facilitate access to health and care services during physical distancing. Older people may be disadvantaged in that regard if they are unable to use or have access to smartphones, tablets, computers, or other technologies.
objectiveIn this study, we synthesized evidence on the impact of digital technologies on older adults' access to health and social services.
methodsWe conducted an umbrella review of systematic reviews published from January 2000 to October 2019 using comprehensive searches of 6 databases. We looked for reviews in a population of adults aged ≥65 years in any setting, reporting outcomes related to the impact of technologies on access to health and social care services.
resultsA total of 7 systematic reviews met the inclusion criteria, providing data from 77 randomized controlled trials and 50 observational studies. All of them synthesized findings from low-quality primary studies, 2 of which used robust review methods. Most of the reviews focused on digital technologies to facilitate remote delivery of care, including consultations and therapy. No studies examined technologies used for first contact access to care, such as online appointment scheduling. Overall, we found no reviews of technology to facilitate first contact access to health and social care such as online appointment booking systems for older populations.
conclusionsThe impact of digital technologies on equitable access to services for older people is unclear. Research is urgently needed in order to understand the positive and negative consequences of digital technologies on health care access and to identify the groups most vulnerable to exclusion.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.