Identifier

etd-10222014-194148

Degree

Master of Science in Industrial Engineering (MSIE)

Department

Mechanical Engineering

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

The older adult population will continue to place pressure on the financial and resource allocation of the healthcare industry as the over 65 population continues to grow. Health care expenditures to treat the aging population will continue to rise as older adults are more likely to have expensive chronic conditions. The future may lay with Consumer Health Information Technology which may allow the patients to have more control of their treatment schedule and self-management of their health and chronic conditions. However, older adults may exhibit cognitive declines that prohibit the learning and proper use of technology, and this assumption is a major inhibitor towards full implementation. This study used the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology questionnaire to measure the acceptance of an over-the-counter blood pressure monitor. Twenty-six participants trained themselves to use the device and then measured their blood pressure and uploaded that data to a web software client for their potential healthcare givers for two sessions, one week apart. The results showed that older adults’ ability to perform tasks and limit errors after a retention period is worse when compared to younger adults. However, this performance decline after the retention interval did not result in a decline in the participants’ intention to use the device, showing that even with difficulty when using a novel medical device the older adults still rated that they would intend to use the device similarly to the younger cohort. These systems show the promise of ultimately relieving some of the cost burden and stress on the health industry by having more constant care and reducing hospital readmission rates but may require targeted training for older adults to better maintain task performance.

Date

2014

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Ikuma, Laura

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.1108

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