Attitudes of older people/seniors to completion of electronic patient-reported outcome measures and use of mobile applications in clinical trials: results of a qualitative research study

Aim: We undertook qualitative research to understand more about older people and their interactions with technology, specifically to evidence the question "can older people (seniors) manage electronic patient-reported outcomes solutions in clinical trials?". Methods: We undertook qualitative research interviews with older people and investigated the findings. Results: Seven of the ten participants had a smartphone and 3/10 had a feature phone (a mobile phone with buttons and no touchscreen). There was a shift from smartphone use by the younger participants to feature phone use by the oldest participants. Conclusion: The younger group of older individuals had similar experiences and attitudes toward touchscreen devices as the rest of the population. While the older participants expressed some reluctance toward unfamiliar technology, all participants were using technology and accepting of it.