The global management consulting firm Accenture recently conducted a survey of more than 10,000 seniors across 10 countries including the United States to find out what they thought about using technology to help them manage their health. And the results were resoundingly positive. Two out of three surveyed want to use technology to manage their health on their own.
More than 60% of the respondents want a wearable device to track vital signs. A similar portion are likely to consult with an online community for more information and reactions to their own physician’s advice. And in a sign that electronic health records are already having a positive impact, about a quarter of seniors access their health records; retrieving lab test results was the most common use.
Seniors who are more tech-savvy are more likely to be actively involved in monitoring their health. 75% of them track their weight digitally, compared with only 43% of the less technically inclined. Half of the techies track their cholesterol levels, while only 31% of the less techie types do. The take-aways from this survey would appear to include the fact that age is not a barrier to wanting to take advantage of technology — and wearable Health Tech in particular — to take more control over managing our individual health.
