title: Acceptance and use of health information technology by community-dwelling elders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  With the worldwide population growing in age, information technology may help meet important needs to prepare and support patients and families for aging. We sought to explore the use and acceptance of information technology for health among the elderly by reviewing the existing literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  Review of literature using PubMed and Google Scholar, references from relevant papers, and consultation with experts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Elderly people approach the Internet and health information technology differently than younger people, but have growing rates of adoption. Assistive technology, such as sensors or home monitors, may help 'aging in place', but these have not been thoroughly evaluated. Elders face many barriers in using technology for healthcare decision-making, including issues with familiarity, willingness to ask for help, trust of the technology, privacy, and design challenges.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Barriers must be addressed for these tools to be available to this growing population. Design, education, research, and policy all play roles in addressing these barriers to acceptance and use.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Informatics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 1330 Beacon St., Suite 400, Brookline, MA 02446, United States; RAND Corporation, 20 Park Plaza, Suite 920, Boston, MA 02116, United States. Electronic address: sfischer@rand.org.
authors.forename: Shira H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Informatics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 1330 Beacon St., Suite 400, Brookline, MA 02446, United States; Jonas Foundation Scholar, School of Nursing, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115, United States.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: David
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Informatics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 1330 Beacon St., Suite 400, Brookline, MA 02446, United States.
authors.forename: Bradley H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Crotty
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Informatics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 1330 Beacon St., Suite 400, Brookline, MA 02446, United States.
authors.forename: Meghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dierks
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Informatics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 1330 Beacon St., Suite 400, Brookline, MA 02446, United States.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Safran
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D003153:Community Health Services; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008490:Medical Informatics; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Community-dwelling; Elderly; Health information technology (HIT); Internet