TY - JOUR
T1 - Exploring the experiences of community-dwelling older adults on using wearable monitoring devices with regular support from community health workers, nurses, and social workers: Qualitative descriptive study.
AU - Wong, Kwan Ching
AU - Bayuo, Jonathan
AU - Su, Jingjing
AU - Sum Chow, Karen Kit
AU - Man Wong, Siu
AU - Bonnie, Wong Po
AU - Lee, Athena Yin Lam
AU - Wong, Kam Yuet
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
©Arkers Kwan Ching Wong, Jonathan Bayuo, Jing Jing Su, Karen Kit Sum Chow, Siu Man Wong, Bonnie Po Wong, Athena Yin Lam Lee, Frances Kam Yuet Wong. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
PY - 2024/8
Y1 - 2024/8
N2 - Background: The use of wearable monitoring devices (WMDs), such as smartwatches, is advancing support and care for community-dwelling older adults across the globe. Despite existing evidence of the importance of WMDs in preventing problems and promoting health, significant concerns remain about the decline in use after a period of time, which warrant an understanding of how older adults experience the devices. Objective: This study aims to explore and describe the experiences of community-dwelling older adults after receiving our interventional program, which included the use of a smartwatch with support from a community health workers, nurses, and social workers, including the challenges that they experienced while using the device, the perceived benefits, and strategies to promote their sustained use of the device. Methods: We used a qualitative descriptive approach in this study. Older adults who had taken part in an interventional study involving the use of smartwatches and who were receiving regular health and social support were invited to participate in focus group discussions at the end of the trial. Purposive sampling was used to recruit potential participants. Older adults who agreed to participate were assigned to focus groups based on their community. The focus group discussions were facilitated and moderated by 2 members of the research team. All discussions were recorded and transcribed verbatim. We used the constant comparison analytical approach to analyze the focus group data. Results: A total of 22 participants assigned to 6 focus groups participated in the study. The experiences of community-dwelling older adults emerged as (1) challenges associated with the use of WMDs, (2) the perceived benefits of using the WMDs, and (3) strategies to promote the use of WMDs. In addition, the findings also demonstrate a hierarchical pattern of health-seeking behaviors by older adults: seeking assistance first from older adult volunteers, then from social workers, and finally from nurses. Conclusions: Ongoing use of the WMDs is potentially possible, but it is important to ensure the availability of technical support, maintain active professional follow-ups by nurses and social workers, and include older adult volunteers to support other older adults in such programs.
AB - Background: The use of wearable monitoring devices (WMDs), such as smartwatches, is advancing support and care for community-dwelling older adults across the globe. Despite existing evidence of the importance of WMDs in preventing problems and promoting health, significant concerns remain about the decline in use after a period of time, which warrant an understanding of how older adults experience the devices. Objective: This study aims to explore and describe the experiences of community-dwelling older adults after receiving our interventional program, which included the use of a smartwatch with support from a community health workers, nurses, and social workers, including the challenges that they experienced while using the device, the perceived benefits, and strategies to promote their sustained use of the device. Methods: We used a qualitative descriptive approach in this study. Older adults who had taken part in an interventional study involving the use of smartwatches and who were receiving regular health and social support were invited to participate in focus group discussions at the end of the trial. Purposive sampling was used to recruit potential participants. Older adults who agreed to participate were assigned to focus groups based on their community. The focus group discussions were facilitated and moderated by 2 members of the research team. All discussions were recorded and transcribed verbatim. We used the constant comparison analytical approach to analyze the focus group data. Results: A total of 22 participants assigned to 6 focus groups participated in the study. The experiences of community-dwelling older adults emerged as (1) challenges associated with the use of WMDs, (2) the perceived benefits of using the WMDs, and (3) strategies to promote the use of WMDs. In addition, the findings also demonstrate a hierarchical pattern of health-seeking behaviors by older adults: seeking assistance first from older adult volunteers, then from social workers, and finally from nurses. Conclusions: Ongoing use of the WMDs is potentially possible, but it is important to ensure the availability of technical support, maintain active professional follow-ups by nurses and social workers, and include older adult volunteers to support other older adults in such programs.
KW - community-dwelling older adults
KW - focus group
KW - wearable monitoring devices
KW - mobile phone
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85200828290&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2196/49403
DO - 10.2196/49403
M3 - Journal article
SN - 1439-4456
VL - 26
JO - Journal of Medical Internet Research
JF - Journal of Medical Internet Research
M1 - e49403
ER -