Multi Perspective Considerations for Health Smart Home: Early Phase Exploratory Study.
Gordana Dermody, Rania Shibl, Mingzhong Wang and 9 others
PMID 40172858WHAT IT FOUND
Home care nurses, support workers, older adults and families saw smart-home sensors as useful for spotting changes in daily routines, but worried about privacy, alerts and unclear roles.
Key findings
01Nurses and support workers saw sensor monitoring of daily activities, such as toileting, showering, sleep and medication, as a possible early signal of health change.
02Participants linked smart-home monitoring to staying at home safely, but also raised privacy, surveillance and alert-burden concerns.
03Nurses said adoption would require clear role definitions, training, controlled data access and funding.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
All participants came from one home care organisation in Queensland, and they were recruited by convenience, so the findings may reflect that service and people willing to join. Individuals more interested in technology may have been more likely to participate. The sample included 7 nurses and 3 support workers, and only 6 older adults and 2 family caregivers. One married couple was interviewed together. There were 17 transcripts from 18 participants. Participants did not review the transcripts or the findings, and no field notes were taken. The authors say the findings are not generalisable and more evidence is needed to show value and financial efficacy.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the University of the Sunshine Coast.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that health smart homes improve older adults' health or reduce hospital visits. This was an early exploratory study of views from 18 people at one home care service, and the authors say more evidence is needed.