Listen to the users

David Garwood presents his experience in using ICT in the home, seen from a user organization's perspective. Photo: Jarl Stian Olsen

This was part of the message presented by David Garwood from Belgium at the telemedicine conference on the future of elder health in Tromsø.

Peace of mind, dignity and respect

There are many good solutions that can be placed in the home to ease the burden on both patients and health staff, but patients must feel confident that they are receiving adequate and appropriate training in their use. Here, the individual patient's needs must be taken into account, such as ergonomic adaptations: larger keyboards, larger text and displays.

- When the equipment is in place, it is also important that patients feel reassured that everything is working the way it is supposed to, that fire safety has been taken care of, and that support is available, Garwood points out.

Involvement in decisions

Privacy is extremely important, and patients must have control over the equipment to be used. They must be able to choose to switch it off if they want to. This may conflict with the information needs of the health staff. Patients need to be in control of who knows what about them.

- Interpersonal needs must be fulfilled. We have seen examples of what was meant as a technical support telephone in fact being used as a contact telephone for patients. Patients must be able to say no to the installation of equipment in their rooms. This must be respected, and other solutions for treatment and follow-up must then be initiated.

Technology-driven

A great deal of equipment is produced today without asking users, or involving them in the process. In an ideal world, patients should have full control over the health assistance they receive, and should be able to make decisions about their own treatment themselves. It is not like that in the real world. Today, patients can only do this with the support of health staff and, and on the basis of accurate and up-to-date information.

David Garwood believes that the focus must be on the patient, and that patients must feel that they are in control of their own situation. When there are both young and older people in the same household, the young people have a tendency to take over the technology. "I'll do it for you, Granny." The result is that elderly people do not learn to use the equipment as quickly as would be desirable.

The patient is an important resource in the development of new equipment. Talk to patients and listen to what they have to say, concludes Garwood.

For more information, please contact the Head of Information, Hilde Pettersen, mobile telephone +47 991 03 794.

Facts about TTeC 2007:

The Tromsø Telemedicine and eHealth Conference takes place from 11 to 13 June 2007. This is the seventh time that the Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine in Tromsø is organizing the conference, which gathers several hundred participants from 20 countries over three days. This year's conference focuses on new, non-traditional possibilities for improving the efficiency of the care service and reducing the burden on the public health service when the grey wave begins in earnest within a few years.