Exploring the Patient's Experience of Receiving Clinical Care Which Incorporates the Use of Mobile Technology at the Bedside.

Abstract

Research-based insight into patient's experiences of mobile technology at the bedside in the hospital setting remains limited. This research project aims to explore patient's experience. This mixed method pre and post study aimed to explore the patient experience in relation to this and also test whether introducing further bedside technology (beyond the workstation on wheels) had an effect on the patient experience. Questionnaires and interviews were conducted among inpatient samples prior to and one year post introduction of a suite of new bedside technologies. Pre and post patient survey results (pre: n=82; post: n=98) suggested that mixed views and perceptions existed and that some of these were associated with primary demographics such as age. At post-test, attitudes about bedside technology were found to be more positive, and feedback about care quality was found to be unchanged, Baseline patient interview findings (n=15) highlight the social ubiquity of technology as a driver of positive attitude in the digital health context. The addition of new bedside technology is very well received by patients and was not perceived to impact on care quality.