User-Centered Development of a Web Platform Supporting Community-Based Health Care Organizations for Older Persons in Need of Support: Qualitative Focus Group Study

Abstract

Background The ongoing changes in population demographics increase the relevance of dignified aging across Europe. Community-based health care (CBHC) organizations are necessary to provide sustainable strategies for organizing care for older persons in need of support. To support the digitalization of these organizations, new business models and suitable web platforms are necessary. Objective This study, which is part of the European Active and Assisted Living (AAL) project called “ICareCoops”, aimed to explore concepts, approaches, and workflows of CBHC organizations to achieve a comprehensive understanding of extant services offered and relevant requirements to support these services with information and computer technology (ICT) solutions. Methods A qualitative study with six focus groups (FGs) with 40 participants was conducted in Switzerland and Slovenia to identify potential stakeholders’ needs and requirements for the user-centered development of a web platform. Data were collected from three different stakeholder groups: (1) older persons in need of support as care receivers, (2) significant others of older persons in need of support, and (3) managers or care providers of CBHC organizations. A semistructured interview guide with open questions was used for data collection. FG sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze the content of the FG sessions. To assist with further web platform development, the responses of the FG participants were translated into user stories to describe technical requirements. Results By analyzing the transcripts, five main categories were identified: (1) ICT usage behavior of users, (2) challenges of web platform usage, (3) content and technical requirements for the web platform, (4) form and services of CBHC organizations, and (5) rationales of CBHC organizations. The main issues identified were the need for seniors to have individual contact with the CBHC organization and the possibility to coordinate routine services via the web platform, such as ordering meals-on-wheels or booking a caregiver to accompany an older person to the doctor. Conclusions The majority of participants showed a lack of familiarity with the usage of ICT. Nevertheless, they were open-minded regarding web platform usage to facilitate workflows and to benefit CBHC organizations. Cooperatives as an organizational model demonstrate a high potential to address users’ needs. Therefore, the web platform offers an essential tool for innovative health care models in the future. Searching for care services, contacting care providers, and communicating with care providers was preferred via personal contact and seemed to be the key element for user acceptance and for the successful implementation of a web platform like “ICareCoops” to support CBHC organizations.

Double-Bind of Recruitment of Older Adults Into Studies of Successful Aging via Assistive Information and Communication Technologies: Mapping Review

“…Table 1 summarizes the reviewed literature with respect to the sampling, study design, and research objectives. See Multimedia Appendix 1 [ 67 - 97 ] for the descriptions of these studies.…”

“…Among qualitative and design-related studies in this review, attention was focused on capturing the existing and emerging needs and attitudes of older adults. This manifested in terms of multistakeholder study designs [90,94], evaluating factors such as digital literacy [76,90,91,93], history of ICT use [90,91,96], technology acceptance [69][70][71]78,[81][82][83][89][90][91]93,97], and tailoring the interventions to individual needs [75,77,78,93,94,96], which implied that older adults were less likely to be aware of new technological developments.…”

“…Notwithstanding the limitations in sampling discussed above, several studies within this review have strived to conduct participatory and inclusive research, especially regarding the future of A-ICTs. Strategies used to accomplish this included conducting focus groups involving different stakeholders [92][93][94][95][96][97][98].…”

Role of the Social Support and Health Status in Living Arrangement Preference of the Elderly in China—A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Aging has become an issue that countries all over the world have to face. The United Nations predicted that one in five people will be aged 65 or older in 2050 ( 1 ). The astonishing proportion of older persons will not only bring formidable challenges to improve and maintain health systems and quality of life, but also change the dynamics of living arrangements in dramatic ways ( 2 ).…”

“…Nowadays, the total number of elderly aged 60 and above in mainland China in 2020 is 264 million, accounting for 18.7% of the total population, subsequently, those who are living alone (or empty nesters) will increase to around 118 million. 1 The rapid increase in the elderly will push the society to meet the challenge of providing more suitable elderly care and medical resources for the elderly. In this sense, the living arrangement of the elderly has been put a top priority of this study.…”