Study: Older Adults Want Health I.T.

March 28, 2008

Most older adults are willing to use information technology to help improve their care, but they are concerned about the cost of doing so, according to a recent study commissioned by the Blue Shield of California Foundation, San Francisco.

The Healthy @ Home study, which was conducted by AARP and the American Association of Home and Services for the Aging, found that 60% of participants would use personal emergency response systems; 47% would use telephone-based health monitoring; 40% would use electronic pillboxes; and 40% would use Web-based monitoring to communicate with their physicians. However, 81% said they were concerned that such technologies would cost too much. And 84% said they would be willing to pay $50 or less to use them.

Study participants, however, were more supportive of their physicians using I.T. For example, 95% said they wanted their physicians to use technology to check whether their insurance covers a specific drug and review their medication history before writing a prescription. And 92% indicated they wanted their physician to send prescription orders electronically to their pharmacy.

Further, 82% of participants said they were willing to have a cardiologist diagnose a heart condition based on information transmitted electronically from their primary care doctor's office. Eighty-three percent said they support follow-up care using the same sort of electronic exchange of information.

Researchers interviewed 907 adults ages 65 and older from Dec. 7 to Dec. 18, 2007. For more information, go to blueshieldcafoundation.org.

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