“Mum Helps Me When the Internet Messes Up…” : Accessibility of eHealth Services for People with Intellectual Disability

• Many services have become digitized in society, including health services. Although there are many advantages to eHealth services, some segments of the population cannot reap those benefits.Objectives: This study aimed to: 1- describe how people with intellectual disability use the internet in Sweden; and 2- understand the nature of the contextual and personal barriers these users face when trying to access eHealth services in particular.Methods: Data from the nationwide survey “Swedes with Impairment and the Internet 2021” (SMFOI-21) were extracted for a subsample of 154 people with self-declared intellectual disability.Results: Findings reveal that people with intellectual disability used the internet predominantly for entertainment purposes. Challenges arose in more complex online activities, like internet searches, logging into eHealth services, booking medical appointments, and financial transactions. Participants relied on support from family, guardians or staff to read, write, create and memorise passwords, understand content, or solve technical problems encountered. They expressed a desire to engage more independently in the digital society but faced barriers due to the cognitive requirements of using apps and the internet as designed by computer scientists, difficulties in navigating complex online processes, such as eHealth services, and a lack of accessible infrastructure. Conclusion: This research underscores the importance of improved accessibility, simplified interfaces, clearer instructions, and a supportive ecosystem to enhance their digital inclusion. It is a matter of people with intellectual disability being afforded equal rights to access health services.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Medie- och kommunikationsvetenskap -- Mänsklig interaktion med IKT (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Media and Communications -- Human Aspects of ICT (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

eHealth

Intellectual Disabilities

Digital Inclusion

Health Literacy

Impairments

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)