Patterns of Technology Use Among Patients With Head and Neck Cancer and Implications for Telehealth

Objective To describe baseline technology use within the head and neck cancer (HNC) population prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Study Design Cross-sectional analysis of National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data. Setting The NHIS is a survey of population health administered in person annually to a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:OTO open : the official open access journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2021-04, Vol.5 (2), p.2473974X211018612-n/a
Main Authors: Warinner, Chloe B., Hayirli, Tuna C., Bergmark, Regan W., Sethi, Rosh, Rettig, Eleni M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
coronavirus
COVID-19
Demographics
disparities
Head & neck cancer
head and neck cancer
health disparities
Original Research
Otolaryngology
socioeconomic
technology
telehealth
Telemedicine
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Summary:Objective To describe baseline technology use within the head and neck cancer (HNC) population prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Study Design Cross-sectional analysis of National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data. Setting The NHIS is a survey of population health administered in person annually to a nationally representative sample of noninstitutionalized US residents via a complex clustered sampling design. Methods Data regarding technology use, cancer history, and demographics were extracted from the NHIS. The study population comprised individuals who completed the NHIS Sample Adult survey from 2012 to 2018 and self-reported a cancer diagnosis. Poisson regression was used to evaluate associations between demographics and general or health-related technology use and prevalence ratios reported. Results Patients with HNC were less likely to use general technology (computers, internet, or email) when compared with other patients with cancer (60% vs 73%, P < .001), although this difference was not statistically significant after controlling for sociodemographic factors. Among patients with HNC, older age, lower education, and lower income were negatively associated with general technology use (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR], 0.71 [95% CI, 0.59-0.87] for age 65-79 years vs 400% federal poverty level). Older age and lower education were negatively associated with health-related technology use (aPR, 0.46 [95% CI, 0.32-0.67] for age 65-79 years vs
ISSN:2473-974X
2473-974X
DOI:10.1177/2473974X211018612