What Is the Real-Life Experience of Older Adults on Smart Healthcare Technologies? An Exploratory Interview Study

Abstract

Introduction: Smart healthcare technologies (SHCTs) exhibit the great potential to support older Hong Kong adults with their health problems. Although there are various SHCTs in the Hong Kong market, and some adoption predictors have been proposed and investigated, little is known about older users’ views on and real-life experiences with these technologies. This exploratory study examined the experiences, functional needs, and barriers of three kinds of SHCT (i.e., smart wearable devices, smart health monitors, and healthcare applications) with older adults in real life. Methods: A convenience sampling method was applied to recruit twenty-two older adults from the Hong Kong community. The interview was designed in semi-structured and conducted in a face-to-face setting. The content analysis was used to summarize the older adults’ functional needs and barriers in real life. Results: We found older adults mainly applied SHCTs to address physical health, but there are few technological solutions for mental health in practice. There are four types of barriers in using SHCT. However, social support in Hong Kong community greatly helps reduce the barriers in technology use. Based on the findings, we discussed the possible solutions based on the social and technology perspective. Conclusion: Current technologies still could not fully address older adults’ needs for healthy aging, and various barriers still hinder the actual adoption. By deeply understanding and considering the social context, technology innovation can facilitate the adoption of SHCT and promote a healthy aging society.