Health-oriented digital access and healthcare access difficulties among older adults in Türkiye: a population-based cross-sectional study

The proportion of older adults is increasing worldwide, and Türkiye is also affected by this demographic change. Despite the importance of healthcare access for healthy ageing, older adults may experience various difficulties when accessing and using healthcare services. Digital platforms are becoming more common in many stages of healthcare access. As access to healthcare increasingly depends on interaction with digital platforms, limited digital access may become a barrier to accessing healthcare for older adults. This study aimed to evaluate the association between health-oriented digital access and healthcare access difficulties among older adults in Türkiye using data from a large population-based survey. This population-based cross-sectional study used data from the 2023 Türkiye Older Persons Profile Survey. The study included individuals aged 65 years and older. Health-oriented digital access was assessed using a composite score based on mobile internet use, internet browsing, mobile health application use, and e-government service use. Healthcare access difficulty was assessed using composite score based on seven reported difficulties in accessing or using healthcare services. Descriptive analyses and survey-weighted general linear models were performed using the individuals sampling weight. A total of 11,657 older adults were included, representing approximately 8.6 million older adults in Türkiye. Digital health access was limited, with 14.1% using mobile health applications and 14.5% using e-government services. Difficulty obtaining appointments was the most common healthcare access problem (50%). Higher digital access was significantly associated with lower healthcare access difficulty after full adjustment (B=-0.045, 95% CI: -0.066 to -0.024, p < 0.001). Health-oriented digital access remained limited among older adults in Türkiye. Higher health-oriented digital access was associated with fewer difficulties in accessing healthcare services, even after adjustment for sociodemographic and health related factors. These findings highlight that digital inclusion should be considered as part of broader efforts to promote equitable healthcare access among older adults.