Safety for older adults using telecare: Perceptions of homecare professionals.
Torunn Beate Johannessen, Marianne Storm, Anne Lise Holm
PMID 31367452WHAT IT FOUND
Homecare staff perceived telecare as helping keep older adults safer.
They described smoke detectors, GPS alarms, COPD portals and medicine dispensers preventing harm, but also feared devices failing or confusing people with dementia.
Key findings
01Participants perceived telecare as helping prevent harm to older adults.
02Participants perceived telecare as increasing older adults' feeling of safety.
03Participants perceived technological limitations and difficulties understanding devices as possible sources of harm, especially for people with dementia.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Only 10 staff members from two municipalities were interviewed, so the themes may not apply to other homecare services or countries. The study reports staff perceptions, not patient outcomes, so it cannot show whether telecare actually prevented or caused harm. Participants had experience with many devices, which may have limited depth on any one device. One focus group contained colleagues and another contained participants who did not know each other, which may have shaped how openly or consistently they spoke. The authors were registered nurses and healthcare researchers, and they note their pre-understanding may have influenced analysis.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the staff reports of fires averted, missing people located or fewer medication errors as proof that telecare improves safety. These are perceptions from a small focus group, not patient outcomes, and the same staff described devices failing, confusing users or being disconnected.