15 research outputs found
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Investigating the enabling factors influencing occupational therapistsâ adoption of assisted living technology
Introduction
Research into technology adoption has focused on older adultsâ motivations, with less exploration of the perspective of healthcare providers, including occupational therapists, who are often described as the gatekeepers to assisted living technology.
Method
This qualitative study utilized semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 20 occupational therapists in England and Scotland. The goal was to identify those enabling factors necessary for occupational therapists to adopt assisted living technology.
Results
Five themes emerged regarding the enablers needed to support the adoption of assisted living technology by occupational therapists, including: (1) a positive clientâtherapist relationship; (2) affordability; (3) time; (4) increased awareness, education, and training; and (5) usability features of the assisted living technology.
Conclusion
With an aging population and the increasing role that technology is playing globally in older adultsâ lives, it has never been more important for occupational therapists to harness the potential of new, developing, and existing technologies to support people to live and age as well as possible. To accomplish this, however, requires that occupational therapists are equipped with the time, training, and education necessary to offer their clients assisted living technologies that are client-centered, usable, and affordabl
Design requirements for a digital aid to support adults with mild learning disabilities during clinical consultations: a qualitative study with experts
Background: Adults with mild learning disabilities (MLDs) face a plethora of obstacles when accessing effective health care. Central to many of these barriers is communication, with medical practitioners often remaining untrained on how to interact with patients who have learning disabilities (LDs). To date, research on how to promote this communication has largely centered on the development of low-tech aids. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of utilizing tablet technologies to promote communication between general practitioners and patients with MLDs. We achieved this by identifying a set of design requirements from experts in LDs. Methods: A set of design guidelines was formed during a 2-phase process. Phase 1 involved conducting a series of requirements-gathering interviews with 10 experts in LDs-the protocol of which emerged from the results of a separate scoping review. The interviews were subjected to a framework analysis to discern the key requirements discussed by the experts, and these were embedded within a technology probe. In phase 2, this probe was presented to a subset (n=4) of the experts during a round of usability studies, and the feedback received was used to update the requirements identified in phase 1. Results: An initial set of design requirements has been produced that may assist in the development of clinical Alternative and Augmentative Communication technologies for adults with MLDs. Factors that must be considered range from the health, physical and cognitive needs of stakeholders, to the more individual needs of users. Conclusions: The experts involved in the study were optimistic about the proposed app. They believe that such technologies can help to alleviate time constraints and promote communication by presenting information in a form understood by both practitioners and patients