Health monitoring and decision-making by older adults
M.S. Bernardes, C. da Silva Santana Castro
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AbstractBackground： Home monitoring of chronic diseases has been understood as an important aspect of comprehensive care and has been facilitated by the development of portable electronic equipment. Aim This study aims to identify the decision-making of older adults regarding the altered results obtained by home health monitoring through the use of glucometers and digital blood pressure monitors. Method： Quantitative, exploratory and cross-sectional study. Data collection: Socioeconomic questionnaire and interview “Decision-making in home health monitoring”. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed. Results： Participants were 150 older adults. The immediate decisions refer to the search for medical help, administration of the prescribed medication, alternative options of treatment and third-party assistance, mainly due to the need for fast solutions and previous experience with the problem. In the mid-term, the search for professional help is greater than 90%. Gender and schooling were not influential factors among users of blood pressure monitor. Among the users of the glucometer, in immediate people who have spent more years in education tend to make more reasonable decisions regarding medical guidance with reference to the administration of prescribed medication and regarding the search for professional help, while those who have spent fewer years in education tend to search for alternative treatment options. In the mid-term, education was not an influential factor. Conclusion： Older adults are often responsible for monitoring and deciding on health at home. This reinforces the need for investment in health education, mainly on diseases and the available resources in the community for prevention and treatment. Instrumentation actions for the use of monitoring health equipment are necessary since this is the initial stage for the decision-making process.Keywords: older adults, chronic disease, technology, decision-making
M.S. Bernardes, C. da Silva Santana Castro (2018). Health monitoring and decision-making by older adults. Gerontechnology, 17(4), 238-244
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2018.17.4.005.00