Mobile health solutions for the aging population: A systematic narrative analysis

Abstract

Introduction The ubiquitous nature of mobile technology coupled with the acceptance of mobile health (mHealth) among the elderly offers an opportunity to augment the existing medical workforce in long-term care. The objective of this review and narrative analysis is to identify and analyse facilitators and barriers to adoption of mHealth for the elderly. Methods Studies over the last year were identified in multiple database indices, and three reviewers examined abstracts ( k = 0.82) and analysed articles for themes which were tallied in affinity diagrams to identify frequency of occurrence in the literature (n = 36). Results The three facilitators mentioned most often were independence (18%), understanding (13%), and visibility (13%). The three barriers mentioned most often were complexity (21%), limited by users (12%) and ineffective (12%). Discussion and conclusions The reviewers concluded that the work done so far illustrates that mHealth enables a perception of independence. Future research should focus on the barriers of complexity of technology and improving existing medical literacy in order to facilitate further adoption.

Keywords: Mobile health; aging; eHealth; elderly; geriatrics; health; mHealth; mobile; telehealth.