Darcy Ummels

84 | Chapter 4 target group rather than design a new activity tracker for an overrun market. This study ’ s methodology and list of design requirements can easily be used as a generic structured methodology for improving further eHealth tools for target groups. Furthermore, the synopsis of key characteristics could also be applied to further eHealth and mHealth tools for the elderly. A limitation of this study is the potential presence of selection bias, as the only elderly individuals who participated already actively used their smartphones. Of all elderly individuals in the Netherlands in 2019 (3.2 million) 49 , 60% use a smartphone. 50 However, the elderly participating in this pilot study asserted that anyone should, in principle, be capable of using the tracker. The MISS activity is designed for elderly individuals who are interested in using eHealth to track their health, and it is, therefore, most likely the group of elderly who already actively use their smartphone. Implications for healthcare and research Activity trackers can be valuable to healthcare because they objectively measure physical activity throughout daily activities and provide detailed feedback. However, until now, the benefits of activity trackers had not been fully realized. A potential explanation for this could be the limited feasibility of current commercially available activity trackers for both patients and healthcare professionals. 10 Additional explanations include the overwhelmingly broad spectrum of activity trackers, the lack of consumer and healthcare professional knowledge regarding which activity tracker best suits which purpose and which group, and the lack of professional knowledge regarding how to implement tracker data into healthcare treatment. This study, however, provides an overview of the features that are most relevant for the elderly, and it can be used to facilitate the process of selecting an appropriate tracker. Further research could examine whether the MISS activity could also be used by other target groups, such as people with limited health literacy, and whether the MISS activity could be used for an extended duration. Ultimately, activity trackers and eHealth could be better implemented in healthcare. 51 Activity trackers may serve several purposes in healthcare; they can be used to monitor a patient ’ s physical activity level, to set physical activity goals, and to evaluate the physical activity of a patient. Therefore, future studies should explore methods of using activity trackers to support healthcare professionals ’ clinical reasoning, as well as their communication with their patients.