Telehealth use among residents in nursing homes remains relatively low compared to older adults living in other settings, indicating an underused opportunity. Variations in technology infrastructure, staffing capacity, and resident autonomy are likely factors contributing to less use in the sector.

Expanding telehealth in nursing homes, as well as seniors housing and assisted living, could enhance care coordination, improve access to specialty services and lead to better overall health outcomes for residents, according to a study published in JAMDA.

These are “exploratory findings meant to seed new ideas and encourage people to consider opportunities for increasing telehealth use in nursing homes,” corresponding author Dana Urbanski, Ph.D., told Skilled Nursing News in an email. Urbanski is an assistant professor and licensed audiologist in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at Indiana University in Bloomington, and an affiliate scientist at the Center for Aging Research Regenstrief Institute.

Nursing homes had the lowest telehealth use among setting examined, with 54% lower odds of being used compared to people living in residential care, or seniors housing and assisted living. Older adults in residential care and nursing homes overall were “significantly less likely” to use telehealth than community-dwelling peers – 20% and 63% lower adjusted odds, respectively.

Residence type remained strongly associated with telehealth use, even when sociodemographic and health-related factors were considered; this suggests structural or organizational barriers to telehealth within institutional settings.

Still, telehealth between nursing homes, residential care and home and community-based services was modest: 20% use in nursing homes, 34% in residential care and 39% in community-dwelling older adults, researchers found.

Of 6,925 respondents, 755, or about 11%, were in nursing homes, while 4,789 or 69% lived in the community and 1,381, or 20%, resided in residential care.

“These findings highlight the importance of considering residential context when evaluating telehealth access and delivery among older adults using LTSS,” researchers said. “Future research should clarify the conditions under which telehealth is most accessible and effective in different care environments.”

Increased telehealth use among specialities like dementia management, wound care and cardiovascular monitoring could help with outcomes in such areas, according to the study.

Future research should explore how factors such as staffing models, workflow, technology infrastructure and resident independence influence telehealth adoption and effectiveness, according to the study.

Understanding these determinants will be essential for addressing disparities across the LTSS continuum and developing policies that ensure equitable access to virtual care for all older adults.