DIGITAL health technophobia varies widely among older patients with cancer, highlighting barriers to equitable digital cancer care.
A cross-sectional study of 307 older patients with cancer found that technophobia related to digital health was not uniform, with researchers identifying three distinct patient profiles through latent profile analysis. The findings suggest that digital health technophobia may require more tailored clinical responses than simply improving access to smartphones or online services.
The study was conducted between November 2023 and July 2024 at a tertiary hospital in Shandong, China. Participants completed the Technophobia Scale, eHealth Literacy Scale, and General Self-Efficacy Scale. Multinomial logistic regression was then used to examine factors associated with different technophobia profiles.
Three Profiles of Digital Health Technophobia
Low Technophobia was the largest group, representing 50.2% of participants. Moderate Technophobia with Techno-Anxiety accounted for 19.2%, while High Technophobia represented 30.6%.
These profiles show that nearly half of older patients with cancer experienced at least moderate concern, anxiety, or resistance toward digital health tools. As digital services become increasingly embedded in cancer care, this pattern may have implications for appointment systems, patient education, symptom reporting, and remote communication with care teams.
Smartphone use was associated with higher odds of belonging to the Moderate Technophobia with Techno-Anxiety group compared with the Low Technophobia group (OR: 5.26; 95% CI: 1.87–14.78). This suggests that technology exposure alone may not eliminate discomfort. In some patients, using digital tools may coexist with anxiety about their use.
Caregiver Support and Confidence May Matter
Caregiver smartphone use, prior online health information seeking, and engagement with the hospital’s WeChat account were each associated with lower odds of membership in the Moderate Technophobia with Techno-Anxiety group. These findings point to the potential importance of social support and prior digital experience in reducing barriers to digital health engagement.
Lower general self-efficacy was also associated with higher odds of belonging to the High Technophobia group (P=0.014), suggesting that psychological readiness may be central to digital health technophobia.
The findings support targeted interventions that address not only access, but also confidence, caregiver involvement, digital literacy, and emotional readiness. For clinicians, screening for digital discomfort may help prevent digital health tools from widening inequities among older patients with cancer.
Reference
Peng J et al. Characteristics of digital health technophobia and associated factors in older cancer patients: a latent profile analysis. BMC Geriatrics. 2026;doi:10.1186/s12877-026-07649-7.
Featured Image: lordn on Adobe Stock.
