Older people and rural eHealth: perceptions of caring relations and their effects on engagement in digital primary health care

BACKGROUND: The aim of this article is to describe older people’s perceptions of caring relations in the context of rural eHealth, as well as to explore how such relations can facilitate engagement in digital primary health care. There is an ongoing implementation of eHealth in Western health care, and rural areas and older people are specifically targeted. eHealth is said to be a solution to emergent problems and a technology that will facilitate people’s opportunities to achieve good and equal health. From this perspective, it is crucial that older people engage in eHealth services, but there are barriers for use, and care providers need to adapt to the preferences of older people. METHODS: Semi‐structured interviews with 19 individuals aged 61‐85 were conducted. The participants were using digital services at two primary healthcare centres located in northern Sweden. Qualitative content analysis was used. An important theoretical tenet was that older people’s perceptions of and engagements in eHealth are affected by the specific rural conditions. Ethical approval for the study has been obtained. RESULTS: The analysis rendered a total of three themes: in‐person interaction was central to people’s perceptions of good caring relations; patient–nurse relations were particularly emphasised; and caring relations in rural eHealth appeared to be multi‐directional and fuelled by a shared sense of rural community. Altogether, this facilitated participants’ engagement in local eHealth initiatives. CONCLUSIONS: eHealth is an opportunity for primary health care and for rural communities. However, the results provide insight into matters that can affect the quality, access, and equality of rural primary health care. Participants’ engagement in eHealth was almost always facilitated by close caring relations with local Registered Nurses. Digital care needs to be approached as a combination of digital and in‐person presence. Separating digital and physical task assignments among different personnel could make older people refrain from seeking health care.