The use of digital healthcare technologies by the elderly population from a gender and intragenerational perspective

Abstract

The use of and access to information and communication technologies (ICT) have become a central component of our day-to-day lives. However, in the current social and healthcare context, certain online activities have become particularly important, such as video calls, online shopping and online healthcare. The objective of this work is to explore the uses and opinions of this type of ‘telehealth’ and ‘teknokare’ tools by the population over 65 years of age, and to also investigate this generation from a gender perspective. The central method was the analysis of the National Observatory of Telecommunications and the Information Society questionnaire Los ciudadanos ante la e-sanidad, 2016 [Citizens and e-health, 2016], as well as current references. There is a certain mistrust in the use of the Internet in the field of e-health, which results in a reduced implementation of monitoring and telecare technologies. Although they have very positive evaluations, the level of use is limited. The main profile of users is male, aged between 65 and 80 years old, with higher education, living in large cities, cohabiting with children and / or a partner and who has an optimistic perception of their health status. As a conclusion, it should be noted that, despite the fact that there is an evident reduction in the digital divide in older people, in the case of women, especially octogenarians, they continue to be invisible and under-represented in terms of their use and opinions of these ICTs, which is coherent with their lower levels of social and digital engagement confirmed in the latest research.