Methods and (Lack) of Theory in Digital Inclusion, Digital Divide, and Digital Equity Research on Older Adults

Older adults, as a group, have been the focus of considerable attention from digital inclusion researchers. The paper analyses literature on the digital inclusion, digital divide, and digital equity of older adults from the last five years (2017-2022) to explore the extent to which recent digital inclusion research considers developments in the field and explores how research has progressed from exploration to theory building and the empirical testing of models. The paper contributes to our understanding of digital inclusion research on older adults through an analysis of methodologies and theories employed, and the topics investigated. Trends, deficits and gaps for future research are identified, with suggestions for how our knowledge, understanding and conceptualization of older adults’ digital inclusion may be advanced further

An ageist perspective on age and older adults in information behaviour research

This study aims to answer the question what kind of research exists on aging and older adults in information behaviour and information seeking. A systematic literature review was conducted in two databases, LISA and Scopus. The results were refined and tagged thematically and clustered into main research topics. (Online) health information behaviour is the largest research topic in relation to aging and older adults. Underrepresented topics are information needs and behaviour outside of the health care sector. An ageist perspective is strongly present in information behaviour studies. Existing research on (online) health information behaviour primarily addresses a negative aspect of old age, frailty and illness, which may amplify the stereotypical image of older people and aging. This paper suggests that the research field should turn to topics that are more diverse and use the demographic variable of age more carefully in order to mitigate ageism.Peer Reviewe

Social support for digital inclusion of women in South African townships

Despite strong evidence of its critical role in facilitating digital inclusion, social support – the emotional, instrumental and informational aid received from support networks to assist an individual’s use of digital technologies – remains an unexplored area of research in low-resourced South African communities. By drawing on the ‘Typology of digital social support’ framework, this paper presents rich insights into the intricacies of the underlying motivations, behaviour and help-seeking processes in the digital engagement of women in South African townships. The findings show that the women had the strong social embeddedness necessary for digital support and relied on a range of nuanced and cross-cutting support-seeking strategies, including formal and particularly informal support channels and, to a lesser extent, self-learning. This qualitative phenomenological study relies on in-depth individual interviews with a small sample of women in three South African townships. In revealing potential disparities between social support in developed and developing regions, the study affirms the need to prioritise further South African research and the development of theoretical frameworks grounded in local realities

An exploration of the potential contribution of a medication management app in heart failure outpatients’ care: the experiences of staff and older patients

Background: Managing the care of older adults with Heart Failure (HF) largely centres on symptom and medication management. Medication management in patients with HF is challenging due to frequent medication adjustments in response to changes in their symptomatology and polypharmacy. Some patients with HF typically take on average 10-25 tablets daily. Given the complexity of HF self-management, assisting older adults in managing their own care at home is critical to the success of HF management. Aim: To explore the role of a medication management app in supporting the care of older adults attending a HF outpatients ‘clinic and the impact of this new intervention on staff working practices. Methods: Mixed methods sequential design to test the feasibility of a medication app with HF patients. Observations of clinical practice were conducted followed by semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients pre- and post-intervention. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis, the Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) framework was used to capture challenges and facilitators to technology use in phase three. A systematic search of apps was also conducted to identify commercially available apps with a medication functionality, followed by an evaluation of apps using a validated tool. The optimal app was selected and implemented in a three-month intervention with patients attending the HF clinic. A case study strategy was used to present the experiences and opinions of HCPs and patients using the app. Findings: Patients normalised the use of the app and found it easy to use after training for medication self-management at home. HCPs found the use of the app to empower patients and to assist them in maintaining an up-to-date medication list and concluded that the use of the app was beneficial to both HCPs and patients. However, several challenges need to be overcome before implementing and scaling up this intervention. Some of the barriers to technology uptake identified in this study were: HCPs attitudes towards older people using technology, lack of managerial support and the need for training and ongoing technical support for older adults Conclusion: The use of the NPT framework captured individual and organisational barriers and facilitators to the normalisation of the use of the medication app with HF older patients. These barriers need to be overcome to enable the implementation and scaling up of this intervention. The findings of this feasibility study are encouraging and warrant further investigation to test the effectiveness of a medication app with HF older adults at a larger scale in future studies