The aim of this study was to explore the attitudes, expected benefits and potentials, barriers and facilitators influencing the use of apps and wearables from the perspective of older adults, their relatives, health professionals, and relevant stakeholders.
A descriptive qualitative approach was used. We conducted a) six qualitative focus group discussions with older, community-dwelling adults, relatives, health professionals and physicians, b) three in-depth interviews with older adults and c) fourteen expert interviews with experts from the fields of ethics, medical informatics, politics, health insurance, health economics and stakeholders. Written informed consent was obtained from all study participants. Focus groups and interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed following a content-structuring content analysis described by Kuckartz.
Sixteen older adults, five relatives, seven healthcare professionals, and fourteen experts participated in the interviews or focus groups. The final category system comprised nine main thematic categories: use, regulatory status quo, potentials, risks and disadvantages, barriers, facilitators, visions for the future, need for action, tensions, and contradictions. App use among participants was common, mainly with a focus on communication and daily life tasks, e.g. mobility, or access to information. Both experts and older adults saw potential in using apps and wearables for health monitoring and early diagnosis, but also for access to healthcare or other services, motivation for more activity and self-management. The identified barriers were missing user-centeredness and usability of the apps, concerns regarding the safety and privacy, difficulty of access both financial and due to a need for support to install apps on local devices, and constant change, regarding both the available apps but also changes throughout the individual aging process. Discussions also shed light on potential conflicts, such as the discrepancy between interests (older adults vs. relatives, or providers vs. users).
To harness the potential of apps and wearables to support independent living at home, targeted support and information about the possibilities and guidance on the use via different channels are necessary. Future users should be included in the development and implementation of apps and wearables, which may have to be increasingly incentivized by funding bodies in these research areas. Regulatory frameworks and the creation of interoperable interfaces are central for the adoption of e-Health solutions among healthcare providers.
Guidelines on the use of apps and wearables to support ageing in place will be developed and disseminated into practice through various channels and platforms to reach older adults, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers.
older adults
autonomous living
