Abstract
BackgroundCollaboration among informal and formal caregivers in a mixed care network of home-dwelling elderly may benefit from using a groupware app for digital networked communication (DNC).ObjectiveThis study aimed to describe and explain differences in the use and evaluation of a DNC app by members of the care network and to come up with a list of conditions that facilitate (or restrict) the implementation of a DNC app by a home care organization.MethodsA pilot study collected information on digital communication in 7 care networks of clients of a home care organization in the Netherlands. Semistructured interviews with 4 care recipients, 7 informal carers (of which 3 spoke on behalf of the care receiver as well on account of receivers’ suffering from dementia), 3 district nurses, 5 auxiliary nurses, and 3 managers were conducted 3 times in a period of 6 months. In addition, we observed relevant workshops initiated by the home care organization and studied log-in data created by the users of the DNC app.ResultsThe qualitative data and the monthly retrieved quantitative log-in data revealed 3 types of digital care networks: arranging the care network, discuss the care network, and staying connected network. Differences between network types were attributed to health impairment and digital illiteracy of the care recipients, motivation of informal caregivers, and commitment of formal caregivers. The easy availability of up-to-date information, the ability to promote a sense of safety for the carers, and short communication lines in case of complex care situations were positively evaluated.ConclusionsIt is concluded that digital communication is beneficial for organizing and discussing the care within a care network. More research is needed to study its impact on care burden of informal carers, on quality of care, and on quality of life of home-dwelling frail older adults.
Highlights
Frail community-dwelling older adults often receive care from formal and informal caregivers over a long period of time [1]
It is concluded that digital communication is beneficial for organizing and discussing the care within a care network
It can be concluded that longitudinal large-scale studies are needed to examine how a tool such as the digital networked communication (DNC) app can affect communication among caregivers. This small-scale study is one of the first to report on digital communication tools in mixed home care networks
Summary
Background Frail community-dwelling older adults often receive care from formal and informal caregivers over a long period of time [1]. When the care recipient is in poor health and less able to manage his or her own care, the low frequency of communication among formal http://aging.jmir.org/2018/2/e10697/ XSLFO RenderX. An increasing number of home care agencies are using a groupware tool to enable care coordination [4]. This type of software combines several functionalities such as registering goals and action plans, calendar managing, and networked communication. Collaboration among informal and formal caregivers in a mixed care network of home-dwelling elderly may benefit from using a groupware app for digital networked communication (DNC)
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