Elderly neurological patients demonstrate willingness to accept home base remote control

Elderly neurological patients demonstrate willingness to accept home base remote control

A recent study from the University of Eastern Finland Business School shows that older neurological patients demonstrate willingness to accept remote monitoring (RM) in the home environment even in the pre-implementation phase. Home-Based RM uses digital health technologies to track patients' health metrics and securely send data to healthcare professionals at the clinical site. RM at home includes wearable devices and mobile health apps that monitor key health metrics (e.g. activity, sleep, heart rate). RM is particularly appealing to older patients who want to age in their own home while maintaining their independence.

According to the study, older neurological patients who lived with a family caregiver were more likely to accept RM than those who lived alone. Furthermore, patients with higher levels of education were more open to adopting RM. Those who had a caregiver during their clinic visit were also more likely to accept RM. Age, gender and place of residence had no effect.

The study was conducted in the Neurosurgery Department of the Kuopio University Hospital of Neurosurgery in Finland and involved 30 patients diagnosed with a specific neurological condition, idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (INPH). The results were published in theHome Healthcare Management & PracticeJournal contributing insight into the adoption of digital health among older patients with chronic illnesses.

Patients in this study were introduced to the prospective implementation of RM in their home and completed a structured survey to examine the association between RM acceptance and six sociodemographic factors, namely age, gender, education level, life examination, place of residence and residence status, during the presence of family caregivers during outpatient clinic visits.

Doctoral researcher Melika Azim Zadegan from the University of Eastern Finland highlighted the practical implications of the study results:

“Our practical recommendations include implementing educational initiatives tailored to diverse educational backgrounds of older neurological patients. Health policy should ensure that caregiver support is integrated into RM programs by working with patients to train caregivers to obtain resources to support technology management and recognize their role in RM with appropriate support and resources. For technology developers, collaboration with patient advocacy groups should be encouraged to ensure that RM solutions are designed from both patient and caregiver perspectives. This collaboration would help tailor RM solutions to the needs of specific patient populations such as elderly neurological patients. “

The study was conducted in the Doctoral Program Neuro-Innovation, funded by the University of Eastern Finland and the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Kurie Grant Agreement No. 101034307.

Sources: