Usage rate and Influencing Factor of Internet + Nursing for homebound older patients with chronic illness

Abstract Aims and Objectives :The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current state of internet+ nursing for homebound older adults with Chronic illness Background: The prevalence of chronic disease is high, but the usage rate of internet + nursing for homebound older patients is suboptimal in China. Internet+ nursing aims to maximize olders’ quality of life. However, the service quality does not match this. Design: This is a cross-sectional observational study. Methods: A general information questionnaire and an Internet + nursing questionnaire were developed, and 738 older with chronic illness from six general hospitals in Zhejiang were randomly sampled and statistically analyzed. This study was conducted according to the STROBE guideline. Rresults : Overall, 287 people (38.92 %) were aware of Internet + nursing, with 132 (17.89 percent) having used Internet + nursing; 286 people (63.42 %) did not use internet + nursing. 63.42% were unaware of it, and 43.9 % had no idea how to use a smartphone. There is a high demand for “Internet+” nursing .Some factors, such as degree of education, Number of hospitalizations, Course of disease, Income level, contracted family doctor service, training received, and smartphone use, which have a statistically significant effect on the use of Internet + nursing. Conclusions: there is a high demand as well as low usage rate of Internet + nursing for older patients, and a mismatch between supply and demand. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Regulation and policy reforms are needed to optimize the discharge planning ,and develop high-quality “Internet+” continuous care for older adults with chronic illness. Patient or Public Contribution: Older patients with chronic diseases and registered nurses participated in the surveys of this study. Registered nurses facilitated community-based family doctor contracting by identifying and introducing the study to patients who were eligible for study participation.