ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Digit. Health
Sec. Human Factors and Digital Health
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2025.1587162
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Formal and Informal Workforce for a Global Aging PopulationView all 13 articles
Exploring Caregiver Challenges, Digital Health Technologies, and Healthcare Support: A Qualitative Study
Provisionally accepted
- 1Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- 2Singapore Health Services Pte Ltd, Singapore, Singapore
- 3Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
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Introduction: Informal caregiving often involves navigating complex healthcare tasks, amplified by the growing burden of chronic disease and population ageing. Digital health technologies (DHTs)—including mobile health apps, wearable devices, and telemedicine platforms—offer potential support, yet their integration into caregiving remains underexplored. This study investigates the challenges caregivers face when using DHTs in Singapore and identifies resources needed to optimize their use in everyday caregiving.Methods: Thirty informal caregivers of adults with chronic illnesses and/or physical or cognitive impairments were recruited through purposive sampling via caregiver and personal networks, and community organizations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and thematic analysis was used to identify key barriers and potential solutions.Results: Caregivers reported using DHTs such as the HealthHub app, Fitbit wearables, and video teleconsultation services. Seven key challenges emerged: (1) lack of formal training in DHT use, (2) difficulties providing timely care, (3) limitations of teleconsultations for complex needs, (4) poor app usability, (5) cost concerns, (6) age-related digital literacy gaps, and (7) cultural tensions in adopting DHTs. Solutions proposed included caregiver-targeted training programs, streamlined digital access to care, improved DHT design, equitable access to DHTs, age-inclusive healthcare services, affordability schemes, and culturally sensitive support.Discussion: This study highlights significant barriers to DHT adoption among informal caregivers and offers practical strategies to improve their use. Addressing these challenges through training, inclusive design, and equitable access can enhance caregiver resilience and system sustainability in digital health integration.
Keywords: Digital Health, Digital intervention, mobile applicaitons, care giver, care giving, care giver skills training, qualitative research, Singapore
Received: 04 Mar 2025; Accepted: 20 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zainal, Xiao Hui, Thumboo, Siang Joo, Lian Leng and Kok Yong. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Fong Kok Yong, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
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