Health Care Personnel’s Perspective on Potential Electronic Health Interventions to Prevent Hospitalizations for Older Persons Receiving Community Care: Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background The use of electronic health (eHealth) interventions is suggested to help monitor and treat degenerative and chronic diseases through the use of sensors, alarms, and reminders and can potentially prevent hospitalizations for home-dwelling older persons receiving community care. It is increasingly recognized that the health care personnel’s acceptance of a technological application remains a key challenge in adopting an intervention, thus interventions must be perceived to be useful and fit for purpose by the actual users. Objective The aim of this study was to identify and explore the perspectives of managers and health care personnel in community care regarding the use of eHealth interventions in terms of prevention of hospitalizations for home-dwelling older persons receiving community care. Methods A case study with a qualitative approach was carried out in community care in a Norwegian municipality, comprising individual interviews and focus group interviews. A total of 5 individual interviews and 2 focus group interviews (n=12) were undertaken to provide the health care personnel’s and managers’ perspective regarding the use of eHealth interventions, which could potentially prevent hospitalizations for home-dwelling older persons receiving community care. Data were analyzed by way of systematic text condensation, as described by Malterud. Results The data analysis of focus group interviews and individual interviews resulted in 2 categories: potential technological applications and potential patient groups. Discussions in the focus groups generated several suggestions and wishes related to technical applications that they could make use of in their day-to-day practice. The health care personnel warranted tools and measures to enhance and document their clinical observations in contact with patients. They also identified patient groups, such as patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or dehydration or urinary tract infections, for whom hospitalizations could potentially have been prevented. Conclusions We have shown that the health care personnel in community care warrant various technological applications that have the potential to improve quality of care and resource utilization in the studied municipality. We have identified needs and important matters in practice, which are paramount for acceptance and adoption of an intervention in community care.

Barriers and Supports in eHealth Implementation among People with Chronic Cardiovascular Ailments: Integrative Review

“…Regarding health professionals who are in charge of putting these health strategies into practice and supervising them, various barriers were identified, including platform and app access being only by computer, which delays processes, whereas implementation of access by tablets and cell phones would further facilitate work [ 22 ]. Distrust in potential benefits of this technology for users’ health [ 33 ] and difficulty in technology use in older and less tech-literate professionals also appeared.…”

“…Facilitators mentioned by healthcare professionals were that technology diminished emergency admissions and hospitalizations, as well as improving healthcare quality [ 22 ]. Additionally, some benefits were identified, especially for senior citizens, vulnerable populations and highly demanding patients [ 22 ]. They also mentioned having greater experience with using technology and the Internet, which facilitated its use in healthcare.…”

RoboCare: Using a Robot to improve the wellbeing of Care home residents using video calls, to adress social isolation and loneliness. A feasibility study. (Preprint)

“…Despite they rhetoric associated with the benefits of adopting digital solutions in health care, the uptake and use of such technologies has not developed at the pace and scale anticipated [18]. Limited fidelity of technology recommendation to a person's needs may be one reason, but it is increasingly recognized in the research literature that the health care personnel's acceptance of the technological application itself remains a key challenge in adopting an intervention [19,20]: This underlines the vital importance that the involved stakeholders (eg, researchers, policy makers, health care personnel, patients, and carers) are able to judge the value of technologies in their own right.…”