Multi-faceted informatics system for digitising and streamlining the reablement care model

Abstract

Reablement is new paradigm to increase independence in the home amongst the ageing population. And it remains a challenge to design an optimal electronic system to streamline and integrate reablement into current healthcare infrastructure. Furthermore, given reablement requires collaboration with a range of organisations (including national healthcare institutions and community/voluntary service providers), such a system needs to be co-created with all stakeholders involved. Thus, the purpose of this study is, (1) to bring together stakeholder groups to elicit a comprehensive set of requirements for a digital reablement system, (2) to utilise emerging technologies to implement a system and a data model based on the requirements gathered and (3) to involve user groups in a usability assessment of the system. In this study we employed a mixed qualitative approach that included a series of stakeholder-involved activities. Collectively, 73 subjects were recruited to participate in an ideation event, a quasi-hackathon and a usability study. The study unveiled stakeholder-led requirements, which resulted in a novel cloud-based system that was created using emerging web technologies. The system is driven by a unique data model and includes interactive features that are necessary for streamlining the reablement care model. In summary, this system allows community based interventions (or services) to be prescribed to occupants whilst also monitoring the occupant’s progress of independent living.