Australian nurses in retirement homes wanted technological solutions that support their work in providing palliative care.
A recent study of Researchers from Flinders University investigated the attitude and expectations of nurses from 15 residential elderly care institutions when using technology in providing care to the end of life.
Findings
According to the study, that findings have been published in the magazine BMC Nursing, nurses in elderly care are confronted with practical challenges in the use of technology in residential houses, especially when navigating by several, fragmented digital systems or platforms (including portals for medication management, systems for reporting incidents, schedule platforms, training portal and digital systems for clinical documentation). This resulted in a double processing of data, which increased their workload. Nurses pointed to ‘poor interoperability’ as another big problem.
Despite these challenges, the nurses were open to the use of digital technologies, recognizing their value in palliative care. They even emphasized the need for it Technologies that support symptom assessment and continuous monitoring of the circumstances of residents.
Nurses also wanted consolidated dashboards in which various clinical data were integrated to monitor the deterioration of residents. They also saw the potential of applying automation in error -sensitive areas such as medication administration and documentation.
The research also shows that the implementation of Telezorg, which is increasingly being applied in elderly care, is impeded by deficits of digital skills among nurses, who also have difficulty managing telezorg sessions.
Why it is important
“Since more than a third of Australian deaths take place in residential elderly care institutions, it is crucial that we understand how technology can help with the end of life,” said the main author of the research, Dr. Priyanka Vandersman, about their research. She is also senior fellow at Flinders’ Research Center for Palliative Care, Death and Dying.
According to their research, the observed openness of nurses in elderly care for technology emphasizes the importance of tackling their challenges by developing or deploying technology that is user -friendly and that fits seamlessly into existing systems.
Researchers suggested involving nurses in designing, developing and testing technologies for possible adoption. It was also recommended to “design digital technologies that require minimal cognitive effort for effective use.”
In addition, the authors of the research noted that there is a chance to make personalized care possible by applying technology that reduces task burden and promotes interpersonal care provision, so that nurses can better understand the unique needs and preferences of individual residents.
In the meantime, nurses also insisted on more training and support with the use of digital tools, including Telezorg, for palliative care. “In elderly care, these digital approaches can help with care planning and assisting with the management of medicines, but we must ensure that nurses are equipped with the digital skills needed to use these tools effectively and at the same time high -quality, person -oriented to continue to offer care. ”, Says Dr. Vandersman.
“By developing intuitive digital solutions and offering nurses the right support and training, we can ensure that technology complements compassionate care, which increases the freedom of choice, dignity and quality of life of residents in their final phase,” added them.
The Great Trend
The Australian government strives for reforms in the elderly care sector, with regard to the adoption and upgrades of technology. This is reserved for this year’s budget A $ 1.4 billion ($ 1 billion) for upgrading technology and digital infrastructure, which met the recommendations of the Royal Commission for the quality and safety of elderly care in 2021.
In July, the Ministry of Health and Elderly Care released the five -year version Elderly care data and digital strategy that guide technological reforms in the sector. Half of the objectives are the safe use and sharing of data and having data and a digital basis. The pipeline of initiatives to meet this strategy includes virtual nursing, AI pilots and testing of virtual reality technology. There is also a plan to develop a data management framework in elderly care and interoperability and reference architecture.