Mobile IT solutions for home health care.
OBJECTIVE
Harnessing the advantage of mobile information technology (IT) solutions at the point of care and contributing to patients' safety by involving them.


METHODS
International collaboration between specialists in health communication processes and information management and systems.


METHODS
Case studies, design science.


RESULTS
User-friendly portable IT applications going beyond documentation of patient records and administration require an understanding of complex communication processes between patients and the different caregivers. Home care increasingly faces structural deficits to be mitigated by integration of IT solutions. Platforms chosen in combination with services should be well established. How to implement this must be scrutinized by comprehensive research as initiated here. Preliminary results indicate potentials for novel mobile applications.


CONCLUSIONS
Contribution to increasing patients' safety by developing mobile solutions to support health care. Those may also contribute to cost savings in health care.


CONCLUSIONS
Health care experiences an increasing significance for Western industrialized countries because of demographic developments. Care generally shifts from inpatient to outpatient settings; the global shortage of qualified nurses becomes even more prevailing. More support, among others by IT and enhanced interprofessional communication, is demanded for an improved quality and efficiency of care processes.


CONCLUSIONS
Mutual approach benefits from the partner's understanding of complex interactions among clinicians, health services, and patients: the ability to design, monitor, and evaluate research strategies integrating care (information) needs is invaluable when applying creative technology solutions within health care domain.
Department of Information Systems and Information Management, Osnabrück University, Germany.
Rüdiger
R
Breitschwerdt
Rick
R
Iedema
Sebastian
S
Robert
Alexander
A
Bosse
Oliver
O
Thomas
D001315:Australia; D005858:Germany; D058015:Health Communication / Q000379:methods*; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D008490:Medical Informatics; D005791:Patient Care / Q000379:methods*; D061214:Patient Safety; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical; D017216:Telemedicine; D014584:User-Computer Interface