JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Technology has been identified as a potential solution to alleviate resource gaps and augment care delivery in dementia care settings such as hospitals, long-term care, and retirement homes. There has been a rising interest in using real-time location systems (RTLS) across healthcare settings for older adults with dementia, specifically related to the ability to track a person’s movement and location.

Objective:

In this study, we aimed to explore the factors that influence the adoption or non-adoption of an RTLS during its implementation in a specialized inpatient dementia unit in a tertiary care rehabilitation hospital.

Methods:

The study included data from a brief quantitative survey, interviews from a convenience sample of front-line participants, and field notes collected during technology setup, maintenance, and staff instructional sessions. Our deductive analysis of the interview and field data used the three categories of the FITT framework: 1) Individual and Task, 2) Individual and Technology, and 3) Task and Technology. The purpose of using this framework was to assess the quality of the fit between technology attributes and an individual’s self-reported intentions to adopt the RTLS technology.

Results:

A total of 20 healthcare providers (HCPs) completed the online survey, and of this group, sixteen participated in interviews. Coding and subsequent analysis identified two conceptual sub-themes in the individual-task category – identification of the task and the perception that participants were missing ‘at risk’ patient events. The task-technology fit category consisted of three sub-themes – reorganization of the task, personal control in relation to the task, and efficiency/resource allocation. Four sub-themes were identified in the individual-technology fit category – privacy & personal agency, trust in the technology, user interfaces, and perceptions of increased safety.

Conclusions:

By the end of the study, most of the unit’s HCPs were using the tablet application based on their perception of its usefulness, its alignment with their comfort level with technology, and its ability to help them perform job responsibilities. While HCPs were able to reduce their own patient search time dramatically, any improvements in care were implied or conceptual. There was limited anecdotal evidence of reduced patient risk or adverse events, but greater reported peace of mind for healthcare providers overseeing patients’ activity levels.