Addressing barriers to wider adoption of telehealth in the homes of older people: An exploratory study in the irish context

Abstract—Understanding barriers to wider Telehealth adoption is vital to enable its embracement by those who could greatly benefit from the technology. The aim of this exploratory study was to identify barriers to wider Telehealth adoption in the homes of older people, particularly in the Irish context. Objectives included identifying barriers from the perspective of five groups of stakeholders, determining the most pressing barriers and suggesting possible approaches to addressing such issues. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted. Findings were analysed against existing literature, current technology adoption trends and successful initiatives implemented in different countries. This study suggests that technology usability issues, implementation costs, lack of organisational willingness to change and the lack of incentive to healthcare professionals to embrace Telehealth are the most pressing barriers to wider adoption. Suggestions to address these issues are discussed. Keywords-Telehealth; barriers to adoption; older people; chronic condition management. I