Consumer Informatics: The Elderly and the Internet

Robert James Campbell Duquesne University, Pittsburgh USA The Internet is one important way for health consumers to participate actively in their health care. This new found ability has lead more and more consumers to question, not only the type of care they receive, but also the quality of that care. However, as Internet usage continues to grow, differences in how demographic groups use this resource to locate health related information are becoming more pronounced. Review of Literature A recen ...

The Elderly and the Internet: A Case Study

Objective: To investigate the impact of training the elderly to use the Internet in order to become more active in their health care. Methods: This study utilized semi-structured interviews and surveys. Results: Five themes emerged from the interviews that described participants' motivations and barriers they experienced when using the Internet. Survey data revealed that levels of computer anxiety decreased and levels of efficacy increasing after training. Conclusion: Training the elderly to us ...