Almulhem Jwaher A
Medical Informatics & e-Learning Unit, Medical Education Department, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia.
Healthcare (Basel). 2023 Nov 23;11(23):3024. doi: 10.3390/healthcare11233024.
The use of mobile health (mHealth) is providing value to the elderly, but their acceptance of it is lower than in other age groups. Thus, this study aims to explore the factors influencing their intention to use mHealth and identify barriers and suggested solutions among elderly people aged 50+ years in Saudi Arabia, guided by the Healthcare Technology Acceptance Model (H-TAM). In this qualitative study, 14 elderly people (six females and eight males) were recruited. Participants were included if they were Saudi, aged 50+ years, and used smartphones. Participants were engaged in semi-structured interviews, which were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed. Peer review was conducted and saturation was reached to maintain rigor. Three major themes emerged: (1) factors affecting intention to use, (2) concerns and barriers, and (3) solutions and recommendations. Influenced factors were identified as perceived usefulness, perceived need, perceived ease of use, perceived benefits, familiarity, trust in technology, advice acceptance, facilitating conditions (family support), and compatibility. Older participants, particularly those with lower educational attainment, displayed less familiarity with mHealth. Lack of digital literacy, health and aging issues, worry about making mistakes, and social issues emerged as central barriers. Addressing these factors in the design and promotion of mHealth can enhance its successful adoption among the elderly.
移动健康（mHealth）的应用正在为老年人带来价值，但他们对其的接受程度低于其他年龄组。因此，本研究旨在以医疗技术接受模型（H-TAM）为指导，探索影响沙特阿拉伯50岁及以上老年人使用mHealth意愿的因素，并识别其中的障碍以及提出解决方案。在这项定性研究中，招募了14名老年人（6名女性和8名男性）。参与者需满足沙特国籍、年龄在50岁及以上且使用智能手机的条件。参与者参与了半结构化访谈，访谈内容逐字转录并进行了主题分析。进行了同行评审并达到了饱和状态以确保严谨性。出现了三个主要主题：（1）影响使用意愿的因素，（2）担忧与障碍，以及（3）解决方案与建议。影响因素被确定为感知有用性、感知需求、感知易用性、感知益处、熟悉程度、对技术的信任、建议接受度、促进条件（家庭支持）和兼容性。年长的参与者，尤其是那些教育程度较低的人，对mHealth的熟悉程度较低。缺乏数字素养、健康和衰老问题、对犯错的担忧以及社会问题成为了主要障碍。在mHealth的设计和推广中解决这些因素可以提高其在老年人中的成功采用率。
