Work

Leveraging Consumer Health Technologies to Engage Care Partners of Older Adults With Dementia

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: Care partners are critical in supporting the complex health needs of older adults with dementia; the importance of their role increases with disease progression. Despite their extensive involvement in dementia care, care partners are not systematically identified or supported in healthcare settings. Consumer health information technology (CHIT) affords a largely untapped opportunity to formalize dementia care partner identification and engagement in healthcare delivery. One example is OurNotes, a portal-based agenda-setting questionnaire that allows patients to submit concerns for discussion ahead of medical visits. In a proof-of-concept study, OurNotes was first adapted to elicit the identity of the person completing the form and clarify their relationship to the patient, and subsequently piloted at an academic geriatric practice. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 care partners to elicit their perceptions of the adapted OurNotes (utility, benefits, challenges) and suggestions for refinement. Transcripts were analyzed using deductive, thematic analysis. Care partners’ perceptions of the tool were overwhelmingly positive. Major benefits included enhancing their feelings of preparedness for the visit, having a voice to express concerns, and streamlining visit communication. The most commonly endorsed challenge was the time required to complete the adapted OurNotes in addition to routine check-in items. A primary suggestion was to enable the submitted OurNotes responses to be edited/updated. Findings suggest that the adapted OurNotes is an acceptable approach to identifying care partners in the dementia context. Refinements may further facilitate visit efficacy through preparedness. Future research will examine CHIT engagement on patient and care partner outcomes.

Source: Innovation in Aging

DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igad104.3449

Authors: Jamie Smith, Jessica Cassidy, Catherine Riffin, Jennifer Wolff, Hillary Lum

Institutions: Johns Hopkins University, The University of Texas at Arlington, Weill Cornell Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz

Language: English

Topic: Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research

Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,615