Improving digital engagement for elderly Chinese with mobile health technologies

Abstract

Purpose: Previous research has identified challenges for the elderly in using electronic personal health records 1,2. The aim of this study was to assess the usability and utility of mobile health technologies to engage elderly Chinese in monitoring and managing their chronic diseases. Method: As shown in Figure 1, we developed a web-based, institution- neutral Personal Health Record (PHR) system that seamlessly integrated mobile medical devices measuring the blood pressure, heart rate, glucose level, and temperature of elderly people. The recorded vital information was collected at more than 10 elderly day care centers in Cheng Guan District, Lanzhou, Gansu Province. We assessed usability including learnability, memorability, handling errors, and satisfaction through focus group meetings, system logs, and questionnaires. This work was supported in part by the '111 Project' of Chinese Ministry of Education and State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs under Grant No. B14025, by the 'University Featured Project' of Chinese Ministry of Education under Grant No. TS2013HFGY031, and by the Chinese Key International S&T Cooperation Project under Grant No. 2014DFA11310. Results & Discussion: As of December 31, 2013, 1,317 elderly people registered into the system, and more than 25,190 measurements were taken during the 6-month period of assessment. The registered elderly range in age from 60 to 100 years with the largest concentration from 75 to 80 years. The initial results from our questionnaire collected at focus group meetings showed that 84.3% of participants validated the usefulness of mobile health technologies for their chronic disease management. Our findings, however, also suggested that without sufficient support, 37.6% of the elderly may not utilize mobile health technologies mainly because they perceive these technologies as complex and difficult to use.