Accenture Report Highlights Top 5 Digital Health Tools Preferred by Seniors

According to statistics, 3.9 million Americans will turn 65 this year. According to a report by Accenture, 67% of seniors expressed a desire for internet-based healthcare tools to enable them to access medical services from home. This consumer report, compiled by Accenture through interviews with 10,730 adults across 10 countries, indicates that older adults interested in technology are more proactive in managing their health. VCBeat has translated portions of the report as follows.

For instance, nearly 70% of older adults consider technology to be very important in managing their health. Among those who deem technology “very important,” 75% monitor their body weight, 50% track their cholesterol levels, and 41% record various metrics of physical activity. These figures are significantly lower among older adults who believe technology is of no use to their health. Similarly, half of the older adults who value technology actively monitor their cholesterol levels, compared with only 31% among other older adults.

Kaveh Safavi, Global Managing Director of Health at Accenture, stated, “For the current healthcare system, it is essential to consider the role of internet-based healthcare in meeting the needs of users across all age groups for more convenient access to medical services.”



The survey results also identified the top five internet-based medical and health management tools of greatest interest to older adults:

1、Self-Health Management: More than two-thirds of older adults prefer using self-health management tools to manage their health. AARP once predicted that investment in startups in this field would grow from $143 million in 2012 to $166 million in 2013.

2、Wearable Devices: More than three-fifths of older adults are highly willing to track their vital signs, including heart rate and blood pressure, using wearable health monitoring devices. AARP once predicted that investment in this sector would reach $266 million in 2013, exceeding the combined total for 2011 and 2012.

3、Online Patient Community: Three out of five older adults are highly likely to shift their attention to online communities such as PatientsLikeMe. AARP predicts that investment in these online community platforms will reach $142 million in 2013.

4、Medical Guidance Services: One-third of elderly individuals prefer using medical navigation tools to manage their health. Last year, investment in solutions such as medical navigation reached $384 million.

5、Health Record Management: One-quarter of older adults frequently use electronic health records to manage their health, such as accessing lab results (57%). Accenture predicts that with the increase in consumer-oriented personal health record management tools, the number of users will rise by 42% over the next five years.

Furthermore, Accenture’s report reveals that the primary reason most older adults (62%) go online is to seek health-related information. While a majority of older adults wish to stay informed about advancements in medical technology, such as virtual doctor consultations (20%), fewer than one-third of healthcare providers offer relevant content.

Approximately 57% of adults aged 65 and older use electronic health records (EHRs) to access data such as laboratory results and blood pressure readings, compared with 46% among younger individuals. Although about one-quarter of users report that they currently use EHRs solely to view this information, 42% express a desire to gain comprehensive access to their health data and information through EHRs within the next five years.

It is worth noting that although the report points out that older adults are also highly interested in internet-based healthcare, it simultaneously emphasizes the central role of physicians in healthcare delivery and asserts that “internet-based healthcare is helping to reform current medical services, but it serves only as a supplement, not a replacement.”

In the realm of internet-based healthcare, older adults constitute a distinct and noteworthy demographic. They represent a significant proportion of the total population and, due to declining physical health, incur higher medical expenses. However, this report’s focus on technology-engaged seniors also reveals that those with higher incomes tend to pay greater attention to these issues. Citing data from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, the report notes that 90% of individuals aged 65 and older with an annual income exceeding $75,000 use the internet to search for health-related data and information—a rate significantly higher than that of lower-income groups.