Delays in discharge of patients with complex health/care needs cost the NHS £820m annually. Longer hospital stays for older and frail patients are associated with infection risks, cognitive decline and loss of physical function. These factors increase the chances of readmission and mortality. Besides, delays in discharge are costly and time-consuming for local authorities and care staff, contributing to the overload of hospital capacity. This study explores stakeholders’ views on the use of assistive technology (AT) for monitoring the health/care needs of patients back home as part of hospital discharge processes. The preliminary findings indicate that overall, professionals envisage benefits in employing AT as it may enhance the coordination of care between various providers and facilitate the identification of ongoing health issues before further deterioration, avoiding unnecessary hospitalisations. Thus, AT could change the care paradigm provided at home to older patients from reactive to preventive. However, there are concerns regarding staffing to meet the increased workload generated by AT. Also, participants expressed apprehension about replacing face-to-face interactions with older individuals with remote methods, which could result in the loss of the holistic perspective of the patient. Older participants perceived AT with caution as they associated it with risks to their privacy and/or the misuse of data. These results suggest that health professionals recognise the potential of AT for more expedited, safer and efficient discharges but there is a need to develop communication strategies to address stakeholders’ concerns.

Authors:
Adriano Maluf, De Montfort University, United Kingdom
Bertha Ochieng, De Montfort University, United Kingdom

About the Presenter(s)
Adriano Maluf currently works at De Montfort University as a mixed-methods research assistant, working on the D2A Smart Incubator research project amongst other studies, alongside Professor Bertha Ochieng.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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