Baby boomers are ready to email, text and video conference with their care providers, according to a study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
Researchers surveyed 258 adults born between 1946 and 1964 about their willingness to use a variety of technologies for health-related purposes. For comparison, researchers also surveyed 72 adults born after 1964 and 139 adults born before 1946.
Results showed the baby boomers are as ready as their younger counterparts and significantly more ready than older adults to use health information websites, email, automated call centers, video conferencing and texting to communicate with providers or get health information.
However, baby boomer respondents either had more apprehension about using podcasts, kiosks, smartphones, blogs and wikis for health-related purposes than younger adults or didn't have the right equipment or knowledge base to use these technologies.
Researchers suggest providers and others looking to engage baby boomers through connected health technologies be aware of the nuances in boomers' use and acceptance of these technologies.
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