Experiences of Digital Transitions in Health and Social Care Services in Later Life:Experiences of Digital Transitions in Health and Social Care Services in Later Life

Health and social care services are increasingly shaped by the emergence of new digital developments. Research suggests that older adults are less likely to use digital devices and, therefore, risk missing out on essential health and social care services as these become more digital by design. We carried out an exploratory literature review using the terms ‘onboarding’ and ‘offboarding’ within the design, engineering, health, and social science literature to understand how researchers are currently thinking about older adults’ digital service needs, informed by discussions of stakeholder engagement with older adults in Edinburgh to explore their own experiences of digital transitions. The review process was implemented based on the methodology of Arksey and O’Malley for scoping reviews, and the findings were reported according to the PRISMA-ScR checklist. The databases used were Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL Plus, IEEE Xplore, Engineering Village, PsycINFO, ASSIA and ACM. In total, 18 studies were finally included. Our findings show different interpretations of onboarding across disciplines and a lack of use of offboarding in the design of digital interventions. Additionally, our findings reveal inequalities in digital onboarding, as evidenced by the limited number of studies. Finally, we share a snapshot of our findings, together with reflections on interdisciplinary and collaborative processes

A discrete event simulation model of a hospital for prediction of the impact of delayed discharge

Patients who have additional care needs after a stay in hospital can often experience delays in being discharged. These delayed discharges and their impact on the smooth running of hospitals has been well publicised in the UK in recent years. In this preliminary work, we build a discrete event simulation model to describe the process of a patient leaving the hospital. Based on a proposed plan for Southampton, we investigate the impact of providing intermediate care in the form of Discharge to Assess places on the number of patients who remain in hospital longer than necessary. We describe the model, a sensitivity analysis and preliminary results.</p

A discrete event simulation model of a hospital for prediction of the impact of delayed discharge

Patients who have additional care needs after a stay in hospital can often experience delays in being discharged. These delayed discharges and their impact on the smooth running of hospitals has been well publicised in the UK in recent years. In this preliminary work, we build a discrete event simulation model to describe the process of a patient leaving the hospital. Based on a proposed plan for Southampton, we investigate the impact of providing intermediate care in the form of Discharge to Assess places on the number of patients who remain in hospital longer than necessary. We describe the model, a sensitivity analysis and preliminary results.</p