A recent study conducted in South Korea found differences in the purpose of use and satisfaction with healthcare applications and wearable health devices among older Koreans.
The study was conducted by researchers from Seoul National University, Yonsei University, elderly care company Sylvia Health, and DTx manufacturer WELT Corp. Koreans over 65 years old To investigate how people use digital health technologies and how frailty impacts their use of digital health technologies. They claim to be the first researchers to compare the use of digital health technologies between pre-frail or frail older adults and healthy older adults.
Investigation result Their research results, supported by a grant from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, were published in the Journal of Korea Medical Science.
Investigation result
The study surveyed 505 respondents, 30% of whom are considered frail by Korean standards, and the rest are considered healthy. Although all respondents surveyed are known to be smartphone users, the majority (63%) are unable to install or uninstall mobile apps on their own.
It found that a quarter of respondents use healthcare apps, and most of them are healthy older adults.Frail elderly people are more likely to use such apps They have better access to health information and guidance from doctors than healthy older adults. The researchers noted that these apps are more useful for supporting self-care and managing personal health data.
However, only 36 out of over 500 respondents use wearable devices. These include smart watches, ear devices, and patch-type wearable devices, which are primarily used to measure physical activity. It was noted that healthy users were more likely to find using wearable devices convenient than frail users. The latter are more likely to use wearable devices to decide on urgent or early hospital visits.
Why is it important?
South Korea's population is rapidly aging, and by 2023, the elderly will account for approximately 20% of the total population, or 9.73 million people. The Korea Statistics Bureau expects that number to reach 10 million this year. Considering this trend to continue, the agency previously predicted that people aged 65 and over would account for 40% of South Korea's population by 2050.
New research finds lower rates of healthcare app and device usage among frail older adults, and some differences in digital health usage between frail and healthy older adults, leading to research They proposed developing technology that takes into account the unique needs of older people.
”[A]Digital health technology is an emerging field in health care, but requires more considerations when applied to older adults compared to younger populations.To increase usage [of] “As digital health technologies become more prevalent among older adults, it is important to identify their specific objectives and expectations for such technologies,” they explained.
“Therefore, when developing digital devices for pre-frail and frail older adults, it is important to incorporate customized services that meet their unique needs, especially the services they use frequently,” the study said. They stated in conclusion.
bigger trends
With the world's largest population of smartphone users, South Korea can contribute to improving the health outcomes and status of its people by: Encourage the adoption of mobile health technology. 2022 study finds technology's potential to moderate the impact of social determinants of health, such as gender, household income, and social capital, on the health of Koreans, especially underserved populations After that, I recommended this. However, it was emphasized that mobile health systems still cannot replace care provided in traditional settings.
