InTacT: Insights into Telehealth and Care Technologies

Abstract

An ageing population, pressure on health, social care capacity and changing social roles and expectations are driving demand for innovative solutions to support independence at home for people living with long term conditions and disabilities. Digital health-technologies have been posited as one potential solution to alleviate pressures placed on existing care services, reducing overall costs and carer burden (Petersson et al. 2011). As a consequence, significant investment into telehealth and telecare has been made. However whilst advances in these technologies are moving apace, a growing body of research has suggested that significant questions still remain regarding the acceptance and ultimately adoption of these devices by end users (May et al. 2011, Greenhalgh et al. 2013).

This paper shares the findings of the initial phase of a two-year qualitative research study identifying end-users attitudes to technology in everyday life and exploring how technology might be most appropriately designed to support personal health care. Utilising a critical artefact methodology the study has focused particularly on exploring the needs of groups of individuals who are currently under-represented in this research arena including individuals from diverse ethnic communities and communities classed as being of high socio-economic need. The research has identified a number of barriers to inclusion and the need for designers to understand the broader physical and cultural contexts where health technologies are used. The paper concludes with a broader discussion of the role design in eliciting understanding and developing responses to the complex challenges facing current healthcare services.