auICTH 2016 - 2nd International Workshop on Adults Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Healthcare

The continuous evolution of ICTH progressed into a multi-faceted digitization of healthcare, providing for new potential for promoting health and well-being for individuals and society. Innovation in consumer- and patient-centered technological solutions, such as smartphone apps, health gadgets (such as smart watches) and specific social media platforms indicate the increasing shift to self- initiated and self-coordinated health measures supporting the preservation and retention of people’s physical, psychological, and social well-being (through electronic data collection, self-diagnosis, remote monitoring etc.) (see e.g. Rozenkranz et al. 2013)
In parallel to the increasing digitization of healthcare, a substantial skew in the age structure of western populations, leading to a steady increase of elderly people, became apparent referred to as demographic change. As seniors have a greater demand on measures maintaining their health a growing demand on various (autonomous) health tools and systems can be expected in the near future.
Although contemporary technologies aim to assist people in health-related aspects, these often do not meet the specific needs and requirements of elderly people leaving this potential virtually untapped. Hence, it becomes important to understand how and why elderly people interact with ICTH (cf. Or et al. 2011) and how adequate tools and systems must be designed for the growing segment of elderly people.
Up to now, little is known about the mechanisms that explain adoption and interaction patterns of (autonomous) health tools especially during the age transition. Preliminary research indicates that participation in training initiatives in working environments, computer and internet self-efficacy, computer anxiety and technostress, or mental models of how technology works might be factors and concepts worth the investigation in the context of age-related IS phenomena (cf. Tams et al. 2014; Wagner et al. 2010). To shed light on these aspects, age-induced impacts on cognitive abilities, personality, sensorimotor abilities, and culture might be suitable explanatory mechanisms (cf. Tams et al. 2014).
To consequently address the outlined issues of the aging society, this workshop provides a forum for the exchange of research ideas and completed research in the context of health information technologies to in order to advance our knowledge on drivers and inhibitors on adoption, usage, or resistance and discontinued usage of ICTH by elderly people.
Topics of interest
This workshop is open to all types of research, conceptual or empirical. Examples of possible topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
Age-related digital divide in the IS discipline
Age-related roles and stereotypes
Specific IT/IS-adoption patterns of the elderly
Online and mobile health platforms and communities for elderly people
The impact of e- and m-health, virtual communities, and social media on the well-being of elderly people
Theories and research frameworks for investigating age-related IS phenomena in ICTH
Methodological challenges of investigating elderly people’s ICTH usage
Impact of technology training on ICTH adoption and usage
Impact of work IT usage on IT usage in private context
Effective design of technology for elderly people
Factors influencing ICTH /e-health/m-health adoption and usage of elderly people
Technology design factors influencing ICTH adoption and diffusion by elderly people
Computer and Internet self-efficacy of elderly people
Technostress of elderly people
Success factors, barriers and risks of ICTH adoption by the elderly
Understanding of elderly people’s ICTH needs and requirements
User interface design, usability and accessibility issues
Integration of elderly people in the design of ICTH
Visions for future ICTH for elderly people
Meta-analyses and meta-syntheses of research on elderly people in various IS phenomena
Novel and innovative research on ICTH for elderly people
Trust and distrust of elderly people in e- and m-health
Changes in personality characteristics and its impact on adoption of ICTH
Different forms of ICTH usage