Abstract
BackgroundThe use of digital technologies is increasing in health care. However, studies evaluating digital health technologies can be characterized by selective nonparticipation of older people, although older people represent one of the main user groups of health care.ObjectiveWe examined whether and how participation in an exergame intervention study was associated with age, gender, and heart failure (HF) symptom severity.MethodsA subset of data from the HF-Wii study was used. The data came from patients with HF in institutional settings in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Selective nonparticipation was examined as resulting from two processes: (non)recruitment and self-selection. Baseline information on age, gender, and New York Heart Association Functional Classification of 1632 patients with HF were the predictor variables. These patients were screened for HF-Wii study participation. Reasons for nonparticipation were evaluated.ResultsOf the 1632 screened patients, 71% did not participate. The nonrecruitment rate was 21%, and based on the eligible sample, the refusal rate was 61%. Higher age was associated with lower probability of participation; it increased both the probabilities of not being recruited and declining to participate. More severe symptoms increased the likelihood of nonrecruitment. Gender had no effect. The most common reasons for nonrecruitment and self-selection were related to physical limitations and lack of time, respectively.ConclusionsResults indicate that selective nonparticipation takes place in digital health research and that it is associated with age and symptom severity. Gender effects cannot be proven. Such systematic selection can lead to biased research results that inappropriately inform research, policy, and practice.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrial.gov NCT01785121, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01785121
Highlights
More digital health technologies are evaluated for their potential use in the provision of health care services, with promising results at both individual and organizational levels [1,2,3]
We investigated whether patients who were not eligible, those who declined, and those who accepted participation differed according to age, gender, and heart failure (HF) symptom severity
Evaluations of digital health technologies are affected by selective nonparticipation that can prevent the representation of needs and interests of parts of the target population, bias research results, and generate conclusions that lead to inefficient solutions and new inequalities
Summary
More digital health technologies are evaluated for their potential use in the provision of health care services, with promising results at both individual and organizational levels [1,2,3]. Studies evaluating digital health technologies can be characterized by selective nonparticipation of older people, older people represent one of the main user groups of health care. Gender, and New York Heart Association Functional Classification of 1632 patients with HF were the predictor variables. These patients were screened for HF-Wii study participation. Conclusions: Results indicate that selective nonparticipation takes place in digital health research and that it is associated with age and symptom severity.
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