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User Diversity as a Challenge for the Integration of Medical Technology into Future Smart Home Environments

User Diversity as a Challenge for the Integration of Medical Technology into Future Smart Home Environments
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Author(s): Wiktoria Wilkowska (RWTH Aachen University, Germany)and Martina Ziefle (RWTH Aachen University, Germany)
Copyright: 2011
Pages: 32
Source title: Human-Centered Design of E-Health Technologies: Concepts, Methods and Applications
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Martina Ziefle (RWTH Aachen University, Germany)and Carsten Röcker (RWTH Aachen University, Germany)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60960-177-5.ch005

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Abstract

Facing the growing aging population in many countries of the world, healthcare-related technologies become increasingly important, representing a possible solution to the soaring overstrained health care systems and dwindling number of caregivers. Though a user-centred and sensible integration of medical technology in home environments is highly challenging, especially when focusing on the group of old and frail users. Their specific needs and wants, their (dis)abilities and limitations have to be carefully considered, in order to reach full acceptance and a successful rollout of e-health applications in home environments. As the knowledge about acceptance in the medical sector is still limited, an elaborate research is needed in order to understand and respect aged persons’ specific demands. In an empirical approach, the role of age, technology generation, technical expertise, and gender are determining for the acceptance of medical technologies. As the acceptance of medical technologies might be also biased by social norms and the way aging and age-related consequences are evaluated within a society, individual ageing concepts as well as economic and educational levels were considered for the evaluation of the perceived benefits and drawbacks of medical technologies. Outcomes show the importance of understanding users’ needs and wants in order to develop user-centred medical technology concepts and to allow a successful rollout.

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