Improvised use of a digital tool for social interaction in a Norwegian care facility during the COVID-19 pandemic: an exploratory study

Participation in the digital transformation of healthcare: a review of qualitative studies

PURPOSE

The purpose of this review is to identify how health professionals perceive participation in implementation of new technology in healthcare organizations.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

A qualitative systematic review based on the PRISMA diagram, was conducted using qualitative synthesis. NVivo software was used for thematic analysis. The searches were performed in PubMed, CINAHL and Scopus.

FINDINGS

A total of 15 articles were included in the review, four themes describing how participation of health professionals in digital transformation affects the outcomes were identified, and three themes describing the factors that are necessary to promote participation. The underlying latent theme of an unmet desire to participate in the digital transformation was also identified in the analysis.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

The digital transformation of healthcare is complex and faces many obstacles if not managed correctly. Professional participation in the implementation seems to be essential for success. Focus on increased resources and planning during early stages, as well as teamwork and ethical reflection is important addressing the challenges that professionals face in digital transformation of healthcare.

Navigating Communication in Nursing Homes During COVID-19: Perspectives From Families, Healthcare Professionals, and Managers in Southern Switzerland-A Qualitative Study

Objectives

This study aims to understand the effectiveness and challenges of communication strategies implemented to maintain contact between nursing home (NH) residents and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic, by considering the perspectives of families, healthcare professionals, and NH managers.

Methods

Using a qualitative research design, the study analyzed in-depth semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders (N = 34), including family members, NH staff, and managers.

Results

The study found that communication strategies like video calls, telephone calls, and window visits were generally appreciated and facilitated contact between residents and their families. However, challenges emerged around technical and organizational issues. Both internal and external stakeholders concurred that an increase in technological and human resources was necessary to alleviate these challenges.

Conclusion

The study underscores the importance of innovative and flexible communication strategies to sustain connections between NH residents and their families in crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Future readiness calls for increased investment in human and technical resources, and a commitment to understanding and addressing the diverse communication needs of NH residents.

Socially connected while apart: the use of technology to increase social connection between nursing home residents and their relatives

Introduction

This study examines whether the use of a communication technology can enhance social connectedness among nursing home residents in Norway. The concept of social connectedness suggest that positive and significant interpersonal relationships can help reduce the risk of loneliness and social isolation among older adults and can be beneficial for both their health and overall well-being. In recent years, technology has been increasingly utilized as a method to overcome physical distances and to keep families connected. Although the use of digital solutions among older people has increased in recent years, few studies have addressed the use and impact of such technologies within a nursing home context.

Methods

A total of 225 residents participated in the study, making it one of the few quantitative studies that examine the use of communication technologies in nursing homes at such a large scale. The study combines two sources of data: (1) survey data collected over a 14-month period, in three different waves, at all public nursing homes in Oslo municipality and (2) a highly detailed weekly datastream from each Komp-device, which provides an objective measure of the frequency of contact between the residents and their families. The two sources of data were combined and analyzed using multiple regression analysis.

Results

The regression analysis revealed a positive and significant relationship between Komp use and increased social satisfaction among the residents. The results indicate that Komp is a feasible communication tool to help nursing home residents maintain relations with their families.

Discussion

The positive response to Komp among the residents suggests that when designed with the user's needs in mind, technology can indeed facilitate meaningful social interactions, even for those with limited technological experience. Such interventions can thus be crucial in bridging the gap between older residents and the outside world, effectively addressing their unique challenges of social isolation and disconnection from the broader community.

COVID-19 Pandemic: From Population Need to Professional Nursing Competence

Nursing has proven to be an essential healthcare profession, especially in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. In this chapter, it shows the essential aspects of the discipline of care and its application in the face of the pandemic from an Informatics Nursing approach. The conceptual bases include the conception of care and its historical evolution. Thus, the Personal Care Knowledge Model, the clinical care sequence and its standardized languages allow Taxonomic Triangulation to be developed. Taxonomic Triangulation is a technique created by nurses that allows managing information and that served to extract knowledge from documents and clinical experiences. The application of this vision of care and its knowledge management models have been tested in different situations: from the identification of care diagnoses in a World Health Organization clinical guide to the design of a care plan manual in a hospital. On the other hand, a secondary result is the resilience shown by the nurses. A resilience based on theoretical models centered on the person and on a language that can represent life from care. In addition, nursing includes a comprehensive perspective that addresses the emotional and spiritual area. In conclusion, nurses and their specialization with skills in knowledge management allow giving visibility to care. A professional care whose purpose is to improve health systems through solutions based on care so that people can achieve their best health situation.

The perceptions of university students on technological and ethical risks of using robots in long-term care homes

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted long-term care (LTC) residents and exacerbated residents' risks of social isolation and loneliness. The unmet emotional needs of residents in LTC have driven researchers and decision-makers to consider novel technologies to improve care and quality of life for residents. Ageist stereotypes have contributed to the underuse of technologies by the older population. Telepresence robots have been found to be easy to use and do not require older adults to learn how to operate the robot but are remotely controlled by family members. The study aimed to understand the perspectives of multidisciplinary university students, including healthcare students, on using telepresence robots in LTC homes. The study would contribute to the future planning, implementation, and design of robotics in LTC. Methods: Between December 2021 and March 2022, our team conducted interviews with 15 multidisciplinary students. We employed a qualitative descriptive (QD) approach with semi-structured interview methods. Our study aimed to understand the perspectives of university students (under the age of 40) on using telepresence robots in LTC homes. Participants were invited to spend 15 min remotely driving a telepresence robot prior to the interview. A diverse team of young researchers and older adults (patient and family partners) conducted reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Six themes were identified: Robots as supplementary interaction; privacy, confidentiality, and physical harm; increased mental well-being and opportunities for interactions; intergenerational perspectives add values; staffing capacity; environmental and cultural factors influence acceptance. Conclusion: We identified a diverse range of perspectives regarding risk and privacy among participants regarding the implementation of telepresence robots in long-term care. Participants shared the importance of the voice of the resident and their own for creating more equitable decision-making and advocating for including this type of technology within LTC. Our study would contribute to the future planning, implementation, and design of robotics in LTC.

Active and Healthy Confinement: Care Recommendations on Activity, Sleep and Relationships

Persons that lived through periods of confinement suffered an impact on their physical and mental health. The adaptation of the lifestyle in relation to activity, sleep and social relationships is key to facing these periods of confinement. The aim is to validate a series of care recommendations aimed at being able to maintain an active and healthy confinement, which serves to prepare the population for future health crises. This study is part of a general strategy based on a care recommendation guide for COVID-19. The validation was carried out by a group of experts using the Delphi technique through a questionnaire that uses the Content Validity Index (CVI) and considers high validation those with a score >0.80. A total of 75 care recommendations are proposed: 30 on activity-exercise (CVI = 0.82), 14 on sleep-rest (CVI = 0.83) and 31 on roles-relationships (CVI = 0.83). Additionally, 49 recommendations achieve high validation. The care recommendations integrate a person-centred model, which addresses individual characteristics (age, health status, professional role). An active and healthy confinement requires respecting social distance measures, maintaining a balance between physical activity and sleep, and using technologies to promote social contact, which promote well-being and avoid depression and anxiety.

Together, at a distance: experiences with a novel technology for social contact among older people and their relatives in Norway during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

The recognition that people are social beings is fundamental for person-centered care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the lives of older people were restricted in ways that dramatically reduced their opportunities for face-to-face contact. Limited contact with family members due to social distancing raised concerns about the well-being of older people. In Norway, interactive technologies were therefore introduced to older people to help them maintain social contact while practicing physical distancing.

OBJECTIVES

This study was designed to examine how older people and their relatives experienced the use of technology-mediated communication through KOMP, a tablet-like device for supporting social contact in care facilities and homes during the pandemic.

METHODS

We adopted an open phenomenological approach inspired by Kvale and Brinkmann (2009) to explore how the use of KOMP became meaningful during the pandemic. The study was based on individual interviews with 4 residents in care facilities and 13 relatives.

RESULTS

The lived experiences of using KOMP among older people and their relatives revealed that adopting digital communication helped older people, and their families mitigate social distancing and maintain relationships with each other, despite the restrictions imposed by the government. Virtual involvement through KOMP afforded meaningful interconnections in the social lives of the users and their distant family members, thereby supporting their roles as parents and grandparents despite the distance, and promoting cross-generational connections among family members. Digital meetings also provided opportunities for older people and their relatives to enjoy each other's presence in favored places, by conveying a homely atmosphere, for instance. These virtual encounters did not rely exclusively on talk as the only means of communication.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that communicating via KOMP was a meaningful activity for the participants. Technologies for social contact can, to some extent, facilitate person-centered care for older people in care facilities and their private homes, despite circumstances requiring social distancing.