Ware Patrick, Bartlett Susan J, Paré Guy, Symeonidis Iphigenia, Tannenbaum Cara, Bartlett Gillian, Poissant Lise, Ahmed Sara
School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Interact J Med Res. 2017 Mar 23;6(1):e3. doi: 10.2196/ijmr.4447.
The Internet and eHealth technologies represent new opportunities for managing health. Age, sex, socioeconomic status, and current technology use are some of the known factors that influence individuals' uptake of eHealth; however, relatively little is known about facilitators and barriers to eHealth uptake specific to older adults, particularly as they relate to their experiences in accessing health care.
The aim of our study was to explore the interests, preferences, and concerns of older adults in using the Internet and eHealth technologies for managing their health in relation to their experiences with the current health care system.
Two focus groups (n=15) were conducted with adults aged 50+ years. Pragmatic thematic analysis using an inductive approach was conducted to identify the interests, preferences, and concerns of using the Internet and eHealth technologies.
Five themes emerged that include (1) Difficulty in identifying credible and relevant sources of information on the Web; (2) Ownership, access, and responsibility for medical information; (3) Peer communication and support; (4) Opportunities to enhance health care interactions; and (5) Privacy concerns. These findings support the potential value older adults perceive in eHealth technologies, particularly in their ability to provide access to personal health information and facilitate communication between providers and peers living with similar conditions. However, in order to foster acceptance, these technologies will need to provide personal and general health information that is secure, readily accessible, and easily understood.
Older adults have diverse needs and preferences that, in part, are driven by their experiences and frustrations with the health care system. Results can help inform the design and implementation of technologies to address gaps in care and access to health information for older adults with chronic conditions who may benefit the most from this approach.
互联网和电子健康技术为健康管理带来了新机遇。年龄、性别、社会经济地位以及当前技术使用情况是影响个人采用电子健康的一些已知因素；然而，对于老年人采用电子健康的促进因素和障碍，尤其是与他们获取医疗保健的经历相关的因素，我们了解得相对较少。
我们研究的目的是探讨老年人使用互联网和电子健康技术来管理健康的兴趣、偏好和担忧，以及他们与当前医疗保健系统的经历之间的关系。
对50岁及以上的成年人进行了两个焦点小组访谈（n = 15）。采用归纳法进行务实的主题分析，以确定使用互联网和电子健康技术的兴趣、偏好和担忧。
出现了五个主题，包括：（1）难以在网络上识别可靠和相关的信息来源；（2）医疗信息的所有权、获取和责任；（3）同伴交流与支持；（4）增强医疗保健互动的机会；（5）隐私担忧。这些发现支持了老年人在电子健康技术中所感知到的潜在价值，特别是其提供获取个人健康信息以及促进提供者与患有类似疾病的同伴之间交流的能力。然而，为了促进接受度，这些技术需要提供安全、易于获取且易于理解的个人和一般健康信息。
老年人有多样化的需求和偏好，部分是由他们在医疗保健系统中的经历和挫折所驱动。研究结果有助于为技术的设计和实施提供信息，以解决护理差距以及为患有慢性病的老年人提供健康信息获取途径，这些老年人可能从这种方法中受益最大。
