| Sumario: | • Against the backdrop of an ageing population and a shortage of nursing resources, the Chinese government has promoted internet-based home care, where nurses provide services such as chronic disease management and rehabilitation care through an "online application, offline service" model. • While existing research has primarily explored nurses' willingness and barriers to participating in internet-based home care from the supply-side perspective, few studies have examined demand-side barriers, particularly from the viewpoint of caregivers. • This study addresses that gap by employing a descriptive qualitative design based on the Technology Acceptance Model to explore the attitudes of primary caregivers of severely dependent disabled elderly toward using internet-based home care. • The findings provide new insights into demand-side perceptions and offer valuable implications for future policy development and research directions in internet-based home care. Between 2000 and 2022, the number of individuals aged 65 and older in China rose from 88 million to 210 million, with their proportion of the total population increasing from 7.00 to 14.90%. In response to the intensification of population ageing and the shortage of nursing human resources, China has launched an internet-based home care model built on a web-based APP platform, which operates on an "online application, offline service" approach. Given that severely dependent disabled older adults are the main users of this model and their caregivers determine its adoption, it is crucial to understand caregivers' perceptions toward internet-based home care. Based on the Technology Acceptance Model, a descriptive qualitative research method using direct content analysis was employed to analyze the data. The findings were categorized into four themes: external variables, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitudes toward use. Future research should focus on strategies to mitigate patient safety risks, optimize service pricing, ensure service quality, and diversify the range of services offered.
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