Study: Use of Digital Health Resources by Senior Citizens Only Moderately Increasing

​Use of digital health tools among patients 65 years and older increased only moderately between 2011 and 2014, according to a research letter published August 2, 2016, in JAMA. The authors used the National Health and Aging Trends Study, a nationally representative survey of community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries 65 years and older that asks respondents about their everyday use of nonhealthcare technology and about four modes of digital health use (use of internet to fill prescriptions, contact a physician, address insurance matters, and research health concerns). Participants who followed up yearly between 2011 and 2014 were included in the study. In 2011, the mean age of the 7,609 participants was 75 years. At that time, 76% of respondents used cell phones and 64% used computers, but just 43% used the internet.