eHealth and orders of (dis)empowerment: perspectives from older adults aged 55 to 70 in Finland

Accessing information through eHealth technologies is typically suggested to be empowering. This study challenges this idea and explores individuals’ perceptions of patient portals and how the variation in these perceptions can be explained in terms of different orders of empowerment. The study extends conceptual understanding of (dis)empowerment as an outcome of patient portal use. It takes an information perspective and draws from an analysis of data from a population-level survey study of older adults (55–70 years) in Finland ( N = 251). The questionnaire included questions on health information seeking and management, health behaviour as well as the use and views of current and future eHealth technologies available through patient portals. The data was analysed using exploratory factor analysis. The findings show how individuals can get empowered and disempowered in multiple ways by eHealth technologies. Four forms or orders of (dis)empowerment were identified: disempowerment, knowledge empowerment, emotional empowerment, and information and communication empowerment. Rather than assuming that empowerment is a monolithic outcome of technology use, this study underlines the importance of acknowledging the presence of different orders of (dis)empowerment as means to the diverse ends that individuals have in their lives.