Seeking medical services on the smartphone among rural empty-nest older adults in China: a qualitative study

The proportion of empty-nest older adults in China’s rural areas is increasing, they lack the companionship of children and timely health guidance, and almost no one can guide them to use smartphones in detail. In the era of Internet prevalence, rural empty-nest older adults are faced with huge obstacles when they need to use smart phones to seek medical services due to their low level of education. Due to the unequal distribution of medical resources between urban and rural areas, rural empty-nest older adults face more severe challenges than urban empty-nest older adults. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of rural empty-nest older adults in China when seeking healthcare via smartphones. The data were collected and analyzed by inductive content analysis. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were used to obtain research data. A total of 13 participants participated in the study. Participants were encouraged to talk about their experiences using smartphones to seek medical care through semi-structured interview guidelines agreed upon by all researchers after searching for information and in-depth discussion. China’s rural empty-nest older adults face huge challenges when they use smartphones to seek medical care. The rural empty-nest older adults have various obstacles in using smart phones to obtain medical services, including their own and external obstacles. Lacking adult children to accompany them, empty-nest older adults rely on village doctors and volunteers or strangers to help them seek medical care using smartphones. China’s rural empty-nest older adults have greater difficulties in using smartphones to seek medical services. Measures should be taken to make it easier for rural empty-nest older adults to access medical services.