A study by researchers at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH) showed that the use of digital healthcare among older adults is poor, with half of the participants unable to install related applications despite smartphone use.

Digital healthcare technology, including a wide range of health management applications and wearable devices, has become deeply integrated into the public healthcare system, especially since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

While the population of older adults is increasingly adopting these technologies, they often face challenges due to a lack of experience and physical limitations compared to younger age groups.

However, specific usage patterns among frail or disabled older adults remain largely unknown, necessitating comprehensive research.

As a result, the research team, led by Professors Kim Kwang-il of the Department of Internal Medicine and Lee Hye-jin of the Department of Family Medicine at SNUBH, conducted face-to-face surveys using tablet PCs among 505 adults aged between 65 and 79 years in Korea.

The Korean Frailty Scale (K-FRAIL) was utilized to assess frailty levels, evaluating fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illness, and weight loss. The respondents were classified into normal, pre-frail, and frail categories based on their scores. Among the 505 participants, 153 (30.3 percent) were pre-frail or frail, and 352 (69.7 percent) were healthy.

Results revealed that all participants were smartphone users, with 85.7 percent using the internet primarily for information acquisition and communication purposes, including search engines, news, and messaging services.

Interestingly, frail or pre-frail individuals showed a higher tendency to use social media compared to healthy individuals.

Although a significant number of respondents (87.1 percent) used health-related apps, a majority (63.2 percent) lacked proficiency in self-management, unable to install or uninstall apps independently. Family members or caregivers often assisted in app installation and usage recommendations.

Among health-related app users, the main purpose was exercise tracking (90.7 percent), with frail or pre-frail individuals showing a greater tendency to use health-related apps for obtaining health information or medication reminders.

Although smartphone usage was prevalent, only 7.1 percent used wearable devices, primarily for self-management among healthy elderly individuals and for medical decision-making among frail elderly individuals.

"This study is significant in comprehensively confirming the usage status and purposes of digital healthcare technology among elderly individuals based on frailty status,” Professor Lee said.

Professor Kim also said, “Development of digital technology for the elderly is actively underway. Therefore, when developing technology for the elderly, reflecting the specific demands of users based on frailty status can be utilized as a basis for developing technology with higher satisfaction levels."

The Journal of Korean Medical Science published the results of the study.