Study on the Acceptability of an ICT Platform for Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment

AbstractEhcoBUTLER is an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solution funded by the European Union (H2020; ID: 643566) and intended especially for elderly people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to improve their health, independence and quality of life, particularly at the social level. The purpose of this study is to assess the acceptability of ehcoBUTLER based on a survey delivered to potential users and actors involved in their care, exploring their expectations and preferences, while anticipating the system ’s functional requirements. The survey was delivered online to 313 participants (11% end users, 25% informal caregivers, 48% formal caregivers and 16% administration/management staff) from eight countries. Participants rated the different functionalities of ehcoBUTLER positively, 86.1% perceiving it as an interesting and useful system. Likewise, they assessed it as a commercially attractive product (75.1%). End users expressed a stronger preference for the social module. Nevertheless, they would be ready to pay a low monthly price for ehcoBUTLER. Professionals would be willing to pay choosin g its functionalities modularly, but they would also expect it to be funded by the National Health System, centres or businesses. The conclusion is that all participants found ehcoBUTLER interesting, useful and ergonomic. However, to effectively implement it, it is necessary to bridge the digital ga p and address the issue of insufficient investment in products aim...
Source: Journal of Medical Systems - Category: Information Technology Source Type: research