Indicators of Disease Burden Among People with Epilepsy or Multiple Sclerosis May Reflect Reduced Adoption of Health Technologies

Abstract

A variety of technologies and digital services offer numerous opportunities for patients to monitor and manage their health. Adopting these technologies calls for motivation and eHealth literacy. While technology-related factors have received considerable attention in health technology adoption studies, the influence of health-related circumstances remains greatly underexplored. This study aimed to answer the following research question: Are health-related stress, coping skills and social support associated with health technology adoption? Data were collected through a survey of a sample (N = 287) of people with multiple sclerosis and epilepsy (pwMS/E). The findings revealed that health-related circumstances have a significant association with health technology adoption among pwMS/E. In particular, health-related stress was found to hinder health technology adoption. The study thereby suggests that pwMS/E experiencing disease burden require additional support, such as education in eHealth literacy.