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Laukka E, Lakoma S, Harjumaa M, Hiltunen S, Härkönen H, Jansson M, Leskelä RL, Martikainen S, Pennanen P, Verho A, Torkki P. Older adults' preferences in the utilization of digital health and social services: a qualitative analysis of responses to open-ended questions. BMC Health Serv Res 2024; 24:1184. [PMID: 39367429 PMCID: PMC11451244 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-024-11564-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2024] [Accepted: 09/10/2024] [Indexed: 10/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND While digital health and social services offer promising solutions, they often overlook the perspectives and needs of older adults. This study aims to comprehensively investigate the preferences of older adults regarding the use and development of digital health and social services. METHODS The survey spanned from 19 March to 31 March 2023. The study population comprised 1100 Finnish individuals aged 75 and over from across Finland. The study used qualitative inductive content analysis to examine the open-ended responses obtained in the survey. RESULTS We identified eight main categories for the older adults' preferences: usability, service design, and security; training, support, instructions, and information; flexibility of compatible devices; understandable language and interpretation of laboratory results; available and accessible services; desired functionalities; delivery of information for viewing, and personalization. CONCLUSIONS Older adults' involvement in digital services' strategy development is crucial, emphasizing value co-creation and segmentation while avoiding value co-destruction. Segmenting users and understanding their needs aids in customizing services, improving healthcare provision. Further research should assess the impact of segmentation-based training and digital device provision on older adults' adoption of digital health and social services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elina Laukka
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, P.O. BOX 00020, Helsinki, 00014, Finland.
- Nordic Healthcare Group, Vattuniemenranta 2, Helsinki, 00210, Finland.
- School of Wellbeing and Culture, Oulu University of Applied Sciences, P.O. BOX 222, 90101, Oulu, Finland.
| | - Sanna Lakoma
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, P.O. BOX 00020, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - Marja Harjumaa
- Nordic Healthcare Group, Vattuniemenranta 2, Helsinki, 00210, Finland
- Research Unit of Oulu Advanced Research on Service and Information Systems, University of Oulu, P.O. BOX 8000, Oulu, FI-90014, Finland
| | | | - Henna Härkönen
- Research Unit of Health Sciences and Technology (HST), University of Oulu, P.O. BOX 8000, Oulu, FI-90014, Finland
- Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Miia Jansson
- Research Unit of Health Sciences and Technology (HST), University of Oulu, P.O. BOX 8000, Oulu, FI-90014, Finland
- RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia
- Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | | | - Susanna Martikainen
- Nordic Healthcare Group, Vattuniemenranta 2, Helsinki, 00210, Finland
- Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, Department of Health and Social Management, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Paula Pennanen
- Nordic Healthcare Group, Vattuniemenranta 2, Helsinki, 00210, Finland
| | - Anastasiya Verho
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, P.O. BOX 00020, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - Paulus Torkki
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, P.O. BOX 00020, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
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Muangprathub J, Sriwichian A, Wanichsombat A, Kajornkasirat S, Nillaor P, Boonjing V. A Novel Elderly Tracking System Using Machine Learning to Classify Signals from Mobile and Wearable Sensors. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:12652. [PMID: 34886377 PMCID: PMC8656729 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182312652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
A health or activity monitoring system is the most promising approach to assisting the elderly in their daily lives. The increase in the elderly population has increased the demand for health services so that the existing monitoring system is no longer able to meet the needs of sufficient care for the elderly. This paper proposes the development of an elderly tracking system using the integration of multiple technologies combined with machine learning to obtain a new elderly tracking system that covers aspects of activity tracking, geolocation, and personal information in an indoor and an outdoor environment. It also includes information and results from the collaboration of local agencies during the planning and development of the system. The results from testing devices and systems in a case study show that the k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) model with k = 5 was the most effective in classifying the nine activities of the elderly, with 96.40% accuracy. The developed system can monitor the elderly in real-time and can provide alerts. Furthermore, the system can display information of the elderly in a spatial format, and the elderly can use a messaging device to request help in an emergency. Our system supports elderly care with data collection, tracking and monitoring, and notification, as well as by providing supporting information to agencies relevant in elderly care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jirapond Muangprathub
- Faculty of Science and Industrial Technology, Surat Thani Campus, Prince of Songkla University, Surat Thani 84000, Thailand; (A.S.); (A.W.); (S.K.)
- Integrated High-Value of Oleochemical (IHVO) Research Center, Surat Thani Campus, Prince of Songkla University, Surat Thani 84000, Thailand
| | - Anirut Sriwichian
- Faculty of Science and Industrial Technology, Surat Thani Campus, Prince of Songkla University, Surat Thani 84000, Thailand; (A.S.); (A.W.); (S.K.)
| | - Apirat Wanichsombat
- Faculty of Science and Industrial Technology, Surat Thani Campus, Prince of Songkla University, Surat Thani 84000, Thailand; (A.S.); (A.W.); (S.K.)
| | - Siriwan Kajornkasirat
- Faculty of Science and Industrial Technology, Surat Thani Campus, Prince of Songkla University, Surat Thani 84000, Thailand; (A.S.); (A.W.); (S.K.)
| | - Pichetwut Nillaor
- Faculty of Commerce and Management, Trang Campus, Prince of Songkla University, Trang 92000, Thailand;
| | - Veera Boonjing
- Department of Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520, Thailand;
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Piculell E, Skär L, Sanmartin Berglund J, Anderberg P, Bohman D. Using a Mobile Application for Health Communication to Facilitate a Sense of Coherence: Experiences of Older Persons with Cognitive Impairment. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph182111332. [PMID: 34769845 PMCID: PMC8583217 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182111332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The increasing use of technology by older persons and their preferences for living at home and being independent have created an avenue for self-care and care delivery using mobile technologies and health communication. This study aimed to explain how older persons with cognitive impairment experienced technology-based health communication through the use of a mobile application to facilitate a sense of coherence. Individual, semi-structured interviews with 16 participants in the SMART4MD project were conducted. The interviews were transcribed then coded deductively and thematically, creating themes that corresponded to the central components of the sense of coherence model: comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness. The findings produced an overall theme: a challenging technology that can provide support, based on the three identified themes: making sense of mobile technologies, mastering mobile technologies, and the potential added value to use mobile technologies. The participants’ experiences were influenced by their previous use and expectations for the application. Personal support, cognitive and physical ability, and different sources for information impacted use. The participants experienced that using the application created an ambiguity to be challenging and have possible benefits. The study suggests that the sense of coherence model may be used as a method to understand the use of technology by older populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Piculell
- Department of Health, Faculty of Engineering, Blekinge Institute of Technology, 371 79 Karlskrona, Sweden; (L.S.); (J.S.B.); (P.A.); (D.B.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Lisa Skär
- Department of Health, Faculty of Engineering, Blekinge Institute of Technology, 371 79 Karlskrona, Sweden; (L.S.); (J.S.B.); (P.A.); (D.B.)
| | - Johan Sanmartin Berglund
- Department of Health, Faculty of Engineering, Blekinge Institute of Technology, 371 79 Karlskrona, Sweden; (L.S.); (J.S.B.); (P.A.); (D.B.)
| | - Peter Anderberg
- Department of Health, Faculty of Engineering, Blekinge Institute of Technology, 371 79 Karlskrona, Sweden; (L.S.); (J.S.B.); (P.A.); (D.B.)
- Department of Health Sciences, Skövde University, 541 28 Skövde, Sweden
| | - Doris Bohman
- Department of Health, Faculty of Engineering, Blekinge Institute of Technology, 371 79 Karlskrona, Sweden; (L.S.); (J.S.B.); (P.A.); (D.B.)
- Optentia Research Unit, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa
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