Abstract
The use of Information Technology (IT) by patients in order to improve their health is accelerating, notably on the Web. While a majority of elders are inexperienced with using IT, the preponderance of health resources allocated to them militates in favor of adapting software to their health needs. Other factors can potentially hinder the use of software by aged patients, in particular the concomitant loss of cognitive or sensory-motor skills due to their diseases. Since the number of publications dealing with accessibility and disabilities in the context of IT users is meager, it is not surprising that, to our knowledge, no paper deals with these factors in combination with IT-inexperience and old age. The proposed methodology, based on an extensive analysis of relevant literature, provides a functional and integrated approach to a mosaic of accessibility and usability solutions in conjunction with the frequent barriers to the use of IT experienced by diseased elders. The characteristics of the aged patients targeted by the MI HEART Clinical Trial provided a canvas to illustrate the solutions.
Full text
PDFPage 1110
