Overcoming Barriers to Mobile Health Technology Use in the Aging Population

Abstract

Mobile health technologies are increasingly being used to link healthcare consumers with useful information and direction on how to better manage their health. Mobile health, also known as mHealth, allows healthcare consumers to manage, maintain, and improve their health through mobile or wireless devices. The mobile phone has been one of the most commonly used devices allowing individuals to access their healthcare anywhere they go. One population that has had difficulty acclimating to this new technology is adults aged 65 years and over. Many barriers that can affect mobile phone use in this population are related to changes in an individual’s cognitive, motor, or sensory function that are due to chronic disease processes or normal aging changes. Healthcare providers must be familiar with ways to help elderly individuals overcome these barriers and share in the benefits of mHealth. This integrative review discusses solutions to overcoming some of the common physical, acceptance, and technological design barriers that can prevent the aging population from using mobile phones for health purposes.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-2015

Publication Title

Online Journal of Nursing Informatics (OJNI)

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