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Views of Swedish Elder Care Personnel on Ongoing Digital Transformation: Cross-Sectional Study
Mälardalen University, School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, Health and Welfare. (PrILiv)
Mälardalen University, School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, Health and Welfare.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-9821-9945
Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden.
2020 (English)In: Journal of Medical Internet Research, E-ISSN 1438-8871, Vol. 22, no 6, article id e15450Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Background: Swedish municipalities are facing demographic challenges due to the growing number of older people and the resulting increased need for health care services. Welfare technologies are being launched as possible solutions for meeting some of these challenges.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the perception, experimentation, evaluation, and procurement of welfare technology practices among professionals working in municipal elder care in relation to their gender, age, and profession.

Methods: Data for this explorative cross-sectional study were collected from 393 responses to a web-based survey on municipal elder care in Sweden. Chi square tests were performed to determine the associations.

Results: The results revealed gender, age, and professional differences in perspectives of municipal elder care workers. Differences were particularly evident in attitudes toward technology, both the use of technology in general and in the workplace, and involvement and participation in decision making regarding the procurement of new welfare technologies. Men (37/53, 70%) expressed a more positive attitude toward and curiosity regarding new technologies than women (157/336, 46.7%) (P=.03). Regarding age, the younger respondents (18-24 years old) perceived the digital transformation in the workplace as “too slow” (4/4, 100%), whereas the majority of older respondents (65-74 years old) perceived it as happening at the “right pace” (4/7, 57%). The elder care personnel felt encouraged by management to explore and experiment with new welfare technologies, but never did so either for management or with patients. Even though the majority of the respondents were women, more men (4/7, 57%) were involved in the procurement process for welfare technology devices and solutions than women (98/336, 29.2%) (P<.001).

Conclusions: Personnel working within municipal elder care were generally very positive toward new technologies. However, both gender and age differences may influence these perspectives such as the personnel’s resistance to welfare technology and patients’ participation in welfare technology usage and deployment. Different levels of participation in the decision-making process regarding new technology deployment may negatively affect the overall digital transformation within municipal elder care.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Toronto: JMIR PUBLICATIONS , 2020. Vol. 22, no 6, article id e15450
National Category
Medical Engineering Health Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-49046DOI: 10.2196/15450ISI: 000540377800001PubMedID: 32543444Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85086635333OAI: oai:DiVA.org:mdh-49046DiVA, id: diva2:1445647
Available from: 2020-06-23 Created: 2020-06-23 Last updated: 2024-01-17Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Assistive technology and welfare technology explorations: Aspects of perception, utilisation and decision-making
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Assistive technology and welfare technology explorations: Aspects of perception, utilisation and decision-making
2021 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Aims: The overall aim of this thesis was to explore decision makers’ and professionals’ perceptions, utilisation, and decision-making about assistive technology (AT) and welfare technology (WT) within the interprofessional field of care for older adults. Methods: A literature review was conducted, including nine peer-reviewed scientific articles (I), analysed with a qualitative descriptive method. A web-based questionnaire, answered by 393 officials and health care providers in municipal eldercare (II and III), was analysed using content analysis of the open-ended answers (II) and descriptive and inferential statistics of the closed-ended answers (III). A semi-structured interview with 24 decision makers was also conducted and analysed with thematic reflexive analysis. Results: The studies revealed a lack of evidence-based decision models to support assistive and welfare technology decisions, partly due to the context being complex and multifaceted. The technology was perceived as progressive and cutting-edge, while organizational structure and culture were perceived as regressive and resistant to change. The results revealed personnel working with WT were generally very positive toward new technology, although there were age, gender, participation, and professional differences. Study IV results revealed that supportive aspects, technology aspects, patient aspects, and knowledge aspects influence AT-organizations' decision-making. Although AT/WT has been portrayed to have the potential to solve the challenges of an aging population, the decision-making regarding AT/WT is complex and evolving. Increased communication between government, regions, and municipalities to support the development of guidelines would enhance the goal of a person-centred care. Conclusion: This thesis contributes to knowledge of decision-making models, focusing on GATE´s model (Khasnabis et al., 2015) applicable in AT/WT. Further development and deepen knowledge in the area of AT/WT appears as needed due to results showing that there is a lack of structured knowledge about the decision-making processes and evaluations of effects of AT/WT.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Stockholm: E-print AB, 2021
Series
Mälardalen University Press Dissertations, ISSN 1651-4238 ; 333
Keywords
assistive technology, welfare technology, older adults, health care providers, content analysis, cross-sectional, thematic analysis, interdisciplinary health care professionals, decision-making, managers, utilisation, perception
National Category
Health Sciences
Research subject
Care Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-53888 (URN)978-91-7485-505-0 (ISBN)
Public defence
2021-05-28, sal C1-007 och digitalt via Zoom, Mälardalens högskola, Eskilstuna, 09:15 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Projects
HV3D
Available from: 2021-04-15 Created: 2021-04-15 Last updated: 2021-05-07Bibliographically approved

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Baudin, KatarinaGustafsson, Christine

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