UTILIZATION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN PREVENTION OF DEPRESSION IN OLDER ADULTS

Depression is a problem that often occurs in the older adults population. The use of technology in the implementation of health services has succeeded in increasing the effectiveness and quality of providing health services to patients. Several mobile apps that have been available have the potential to improve services for people with depression. The purpose of this study was to determine the use of information technology in preventing depression in older adults. This study uses a simple literature study method based on a specific theme from several databases including the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), ProQuest, and SAGE between 2014 and 2020. 27 journal articles that met the inclusion criteria passed the screening process using the PRISMA diagram. Research showed positive results in the use of technology for depressive conditions experienced by older adults. The importance of developing health applications in order to keep up with the conditions needs to be the attention of health workers. Easy, inexpensive, and attractive health applications can increase public curiosity and participation in the health sector

Findings from measuring door-to-door travellers’ travel satisfaction with traditional and smartphone app survey methods in eight European cities

This study investigates how different travel satisfaction survey methods influence the reported level of door-to-door travel satisfaction among travellers. The travel satisfaction measurement survey tools tested consisted of two types of smartphone applications (a satellite navigation app and a game app), an on-line survey, a paper-based semi-structured questionnaire and a focus group. Each of the measurement tools comprised of a similar set of questions, but in different formats, aimed at exploring the pros and cons of each tool among different group of travellers. In total, 5,275 valid responses were collected during the survey period from eight European cities and five FIA (Federation Internationale de I'Automobile) national motorist networks. The analysis results, with ordered logit model of travellers' reported overall satisfaction, showed that the travel satisfaction reported by different survey methods and different travel modes and user groups, correlated with distinct groups of key determinants. The relationship between and within these key determinants, however, was far from straight forward. Some were more complex than others. Some issues, such as parking availability and security, that are mostly discussed by policy makers and users may not be the ones that directly correlate with the users' overall travel satisfactions. Consistent with previous studies, the travellers' mood and previous experience influenced the reported overall journey satisfaction

Intergenerationality in a Digital World: Proposals of Activities:Bilingual (EN and PT)

A educação para os media tem ganho um grande fôlego nos últimos anos, porém ainda precisa de passos de gigante, muito em especial ao nível da forma como é tratada e enraizada junto dos cidadãos. Este e-book surge com essa preocupação. As fichas de atividades tão diversificadas, todas elas com uma componente digital, embora não esquecendo em alguns casos a ligação a outros dispositivos não digitais e formas de estar na vida no dia a dia. Estas 20 propostas do e-book Intergeracionalidade e o mundo digital: Propostas de atividades/Intergenerationality in a Digital World: Proposals of activities tentam dar forma a uma necessidade que encontramos de fazer com que as pessoas, além das crianças e dos jovens em espaço escolar e no contexto mais formal, questionem, pensem e ajam sobre as interpelações do mundo mediático e da informação.Media Education has gained momentum in recent years, but this area still needs to be improved, especially in terms of how it is perceived and implemented among citizens. This e-book is the result of this concern. The activities are diverse and include a digital component, without forgetting the connection to other non-digital devices in daily life. These 20 proposals of the e-book Intergeracionalidade e o mundo digital: Propostas de atividades/Intergenerationality in a Digital World: Proposals of activities intend to respond to the need that people, besides children in education, question, think and act on the interpellations of a mediatised world full of information available.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A case study of designing a mobile app prototype for seniors

As technology has advanced rapidly over recent decades, the aging population has also grown. Therefore, the importance of addressing senior users’ needs in using and learning technology deserves attention from the government and industry. There have been websites and mobile applications designed for senior learners to take online courses, join online discussions or make friends. However, there are limited mobile apps for seniors to acquire information, while connecting to others online. To fill the gap, this report explores the design considerations that should be taken into account to facilitate seniors to better use of technology. A mobile app prototype, Chatlet, was developed to illustrate the ideas of a mobile app that might interest seniors. To evaluate the design features, a case study on four seniors between 56 and 76 years old was conducted through interviews and usability testing. The findings indicate that seniors are motivated to use mobile apps mostly for getting information and communication, and one’s self-efficacy with technology could impact their selection of online activities. It is recommended that a senior-friendly mobile app be responsive to users’ actions on the app, have availability of technical support and clearly present the purpose of the app. Further details about design recommendations on mobile apps for seniors and pedagogical implications are discussed within the reportCurriculum and Instructio

Encouraging password manager adoption by meeting adopter self-determination needs

Password managers are a potential solution to the password conundrum, but adoption is paltry. We investigated the impact of a recommender application that harnessed the tenets of self-determination theory to encourage adoption of password managers. This theory argues that meeting a person's autonomy, relatedness and competence needs will make them more likely to act. To test the power of meeting these needs, we conducted a factorial experiment, in the wild. We satisfied each of the three self determination factors, and all individual combinations thereof, and observed short-term adoption of password managers. The Android recommender application was used by 470 participants, who were randomly assigned to one of the experimental or control conditions. Our analysis revealed that when all self-determination factors were satisfied, adoption was highest, while meeting only the autonomy or relatedness needs individually significantly improved the likelihood of adoption

Applying the COM-B model to assess the usability of smartphone-connected listening devices in adults with hearing loss

Background: Unlike conventional hearing aids, smartphone-connected listening devices may require limited or no input from a trained audiologist in terms of device programming and adjustment. However, there is a lack of peer-reviewed evidence assessing the real-world perspectives of people living with hearing loss toward such technological innovations. Purpose: This study assessed the everyday experiences of adults living with hearing loss toward a range of smartphone-connected listening devices using the COM-B model as a theoretical framework. Research Design: A qualitative study whereby participants trialled one of the following smartphone-connected listening devices for two-weeks in their everyday lives: made-for-smartphone hearing aids, personal sound amplification product, smartphone ‘hearing aid’ app with wired earphones or wireless hearable. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted. Study Sample: Twenty adults (13 male, 7 female; mean age = 62.25 years, SD = 11.59) with mild-moderate hearing loss (mean better ear pure-tone average = 30.49 dB HL, SD = 17.51) were recruited using a convenience sampling strategy. All participants owned conventional hearing aids. Results: The data were analysed using an established deductive thematic analysis procedure within the context of the COM-B model. The model stipulates that for individuals to engage in a particular behaviour (B), they must have sufficient capability (C), opportunity (O), and motivation (M). Capability: One of the key advantages facilitating use and adherence of smartphone-connected listening devices was the ability for participants to make fine-tune adjustments in any listening situation. Opportunity: Participants commented that these devices could address issues surrounding stigma, as smartphones are ubiquitous in everyday life. Motivation: Participants consistently reported that the ability to make adjustments via a smartphone provided them with a greater sense of autonomy and empowerment. As a result, they felt more in control of their hearing loss. Conclusions: This study lays the foundation for further high-quality research to explore whether smartphone-connected technologies have the potential to yield optimum benefits for people living with hearing loss

Using Digital Health Technology to Optimise Older People’s Pain Self-Management Capabilities: A Mixed Methods Study (The DigiTech Pain Project)

Background Arthritic pain is a major cause of illness and disability among older people. As the use of smartphones and apps increases in the lives of older people, there is an opportunity to explore the role of these apps in helping older people better manage their arthritic pain. Aim To explore the feasibility and acceptability of older people using an arthritic pain selfmanagement app to improve their pain symptoms. Methods A parallel convergent, mixed methods design underpinned by Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model 2; comprising of the following five studies: (i) Study 1a: an integrative review; (ii) Study 1b: a systematic review; (iii) Study 2a: a phase I feasibility study of pre–post-test design; (iv) Study 2b: a qualitative sub-study involving participants of study; and (v) Study 3: a qualitative interview study with primary care and allied health clinicians. The data from these studies was integrated to answer the project’s research questions. Results Study 1a revealed paucity of evidence on use of apps for older people’s pain selfmanagement. Study 1b indicated that few publicly available pain self-management apps are based on robust evidence. Eighteen older people were recruited into Study 2a, 80% via snowballing. Over 59% of participants were provided face-to-face app download and use training, none had used a pain self-management app in the past. Telephone-based survey and interview data collection was found to be acceptable to older people. Almost 90% of study 2a participants (n=16) took part in study 2b sharing their experiences of using the intervention app. Following four themes emerged: (i) Apps are valuable selfmanagement tool, but they do have the potential for harm; (ii) pain self-management apps need to be strictly relevant to the user; (iii) Clinicians’ involvement is crucial; and (iv) pain self-management apps must be designed with the end user in mind. Study 3 recruited seventeen (n=17) primary care and allied health clinicians who shared their perceptions and attitudes regarding app use by their older patients for pain self-management. Four themes emerged: (i) self-management apps are a potentially useful tool but require careful consideration; (ii) clinicians’ involvement is crucial yet potentially onerous; (iii) no single app is right for every older person; and (iv) patient data access is beneficial but caution is needed for real-time data access. Meta-inference of the data from all five studies indicated that an app intervention involving older people was both feasible and acceptable, with the following caveats: snowballing recruitment may be required; and access to app download and use training is an important element to implement into the study design. Older people and primary care clinicians were keen to engage with pain self-management apps; however, they wanted these apps to offer high level usefulness, adaptability and information sharing features. Future pain self-management apps need to be underpinned by robust evidence, while providing appropriate support and resources to clinicians. Conclusion While older people and their clinicians welcomed the opportunity to use pain self-management apps, their engagement ought to be supported by systems level policies, and high-quality apps. Collaboration among clinicians, older people, researchers and app developers ought to be considered when developing, researching and integrating pain self-management apps