Title: Communication preferences of underserved chronic disease patients and the role of demographic factors

Authors: Kaushik Ghosh; Eileen Deges Curl; Patti Moss; Purnendu Mandal

Addresses: Department of ISOM, Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University, USA ' Nursing Research Center, School of Nursing, Lamar University, USA ' School of Nursing, Lamar University, USA ' Department of Management and Marketing, College of Business, Lamar University, USA

Abstract: Preference of communication technologies for patient-provider communications is an important consideration for healthcare administrators. This study focused on analysis of patient demographics and their preferences of communication technologies in two large clinical sites serving low-income patients. The survey instrument considered demographic factors such as age, education, gender, and ethnicity of chronic disease patients. It was observed that older patients typically preferred face-to-face communication or regular mail for follow-ups in between visits to the clinic due to the interactive process and active listening. The findings provide insights in designing communications infrastructures for regular 'off-site' patient-provider communication, or for interactions during unforeseen disruptions, such as one that may be due to a pandemic.

Keywords: patient-provider communication; communication technologies; demographic survey; chronic disease patients; low-income patients.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIS.2023.133534

International Journal of Business Information Systems, 2023 Vol.44 No.1, pp.120 - 136

Received: 14 Jul 2020
Accepted: 21 Aug 2020
Published online: 19 Sep 2023 *

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