Ascertaining Whether an Intelligent Voice Assistant Can Meet Older Adults' Health-Related Needs in the Context of a Geriatrics 5Ms Framework: A Qualitative Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Older adults are the fastest growing digital technology users. IVAs embodied in smart speakers are popular and they are accessible to people with sensory, physical and cognitive impairments. The geriatrics 5Ms: Medications, Mind, Mobility, what Matters most and Multicomplexity, addresses the complex care needs of older adults. OBJECTIVE We examined data on older adults’ views of how an IVA may address their health-related needs and ascertained their fit into the geriatrics 5Ms framework. METHODS We analyzed qualitative data from interviews among 16 older adults. Two authors independently assigned a subset of the original codes into themes corresponding to the 5Ms. RESULTS We sorted 111 codes into the 5Ms. Representative themes for each of the 5Ms and potential IVA uses are: 1) Medication: difficulty remembering complex medication schedules. Use: medication reminders. 2) Mind: isolation, depression, anxiety and memory loss. Use: companionship, behavioral interventions and memory aids. 3) Mobility: barriers to exercise. Use: reminders, incentives, ideas for exercise. 4) Matters most: participant health concerns (e.g., nutrition). Use: suggesting nutritious foods, and ordering them from local stores. 5) Multicomplexity; managing multimorbidity. Use: symptom tracking and communicating with health care professionals and care partners. CONCLUSIONS Older adult participants’ needs and recommendations for a health-related IVA can be put into a 5Ms framework. Moreover, we identified numerous uses for an IVA utilizing this older adult needs-focused framework. Incorporating the 5Ms framework into IVA design will improve their ability to address health care priorities of older adults and their care partners.