Health information technology acceptance by older people: a systematic review

Background
The increasing ageing population has led to the development of Health Information Technologies (HIT) for older individuals. However, there is a lack of clarity on which HIT older people are more likely to accept and the factors influencing their intention for acceptance.

Methods
A systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Four academic databases were searched: Scopus, PubMed, the Web of Science, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), which resulted in the retrieval of 4941 articles. A total of 51 primary studies from 2007 to 2025 that satisfied the inclusion criteria and were subjected to quality assessment and used for the study. This review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD 420251271463).

Results
The study revealed that older people have a higher intention to accept assistive technologies over mobile health/eHealth. Older people’s HIT acceptance is influenced by personal, social, and technology design factors. There is a lack of geographical diversity of studies, with few coming from regions like Asia and Africa, hindering a global understanding of HIT acceptance factors. Notably, nearly half of the studies (45.09%) did not employ a theoretical framework, suggesting a lack of grounding in established knowledge and theoretical validity. While theories like the Technology Acceptance Model and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and their extensions are commonly used, other frameworks, such as the Theory of Reasoned Action, Theory of Planned Behaviour, and Social Cognitive Theory, have been underexplored.

Conclusion
The study highlights the need for more rigorous research with diverse geographical representation and the application of broader theoretical perspectives to deepen understanding of HIT acceptance among older people. It also specifies the imperatives for user-centredness in developing HIT products by manufacturers.