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Incorporation of Information Technology into Assisted Health Care: An Empirical Study. Michelle Delmonico and Bruce White. Overview. IS/IT pervades almost everything In healthcare, IT does ‘everything’ from electronic health records to computer guided surgery.
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Incorporation of Information Technology into Assisted Health Care: An Empirical Study Michelle Delmonico and Bruce White
Overview • IS/IT pervades almost everything • In healthcare, IT does ‘everything’ from electronic health records to computer guided surgery. • This paper investigates technology adoption in assisted living healthcare facilities.
The authors • The main author is Michelle (Merrill) Delmonico. At the time this was written, Michelle was an MBA student at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT. Michelle has worked in healthcare. • The secondary author is Bruce White, Professor of Information Systems Management at Quinnipiac University. Michelle started this study as an independent study at Quinnipiac
The study • The authors developed a questionnaire that was sent to over 100 assisted living facilities in Pennsylvania and Connecticut. • The questionnaire was distributed by paper / standard mail
The study continued • We found early on that assisted living facilities might be in the ‘backwater’ of IT adoption and use. Where a similar survey of acute care hospitals was distributed using ‘SurveyMonkey’, we found few assisted living facilities with websites or with easily findable e-mail addresses. • Thus, the paper surveys were distributed addressed to ‘administrator’
Questionnaire • The questionnaire had 15 questions. • Some questions: • Does your facility utilize electronic health records? • What types of monitoring and sensor devices are utilized? • Do residents have wireless emergency response devices? • Does your facility have any robotic assistance
Questions - continued • Does your facility have any web based software programs to enable providers, caregivers and/or family members to monitor residents? • How important is adapting new or advanced technology to your facility? • How frequently is the pursuit of advanced or new technologies discussed at board/management facility meetings?
Questions - continued • Does your facility have a strategic plan for implementing advanced or new technologies to improve resident care? • For how long has your facility planned and budgeted financial resources for the purchase of advanced or new technologies? • What do you perceive to be the biggest barriers in implementing aging service Technologies?
Questions - continued • What strategies have you employed to overcome the barriers to implementing aging service technologies? • Are there any questions / suggestions / concerns about implementing various technologies into assisted living facilities?
Summary • Positive: • High adoption rate of various sensors • Anti-wandering doors • Wireless devices (pendants, etc.)
Negatives • 87% have not looked at electronic health records • 76% do not have strategic plans for implementing technology • 38% have NEVER budgeted for information technologies
As expected • 71% say ‘cost’ is the biggest barrier to bringing technology solutions in to assisted living facilities • 52% have ‘anti-wandering’ doors • (Many of these results are in general agreement with other studies, include CAST – the Center for Aging Services Technologies)
Observations • This was an initial study • We selected two eastern states • We had a fairly low response rate • We found it hard to get the surveys to the right persons and to have them fill it out • We think this does establish an early ‘baseline’ and that assisted living facilities will continue to adopt technologies as the ‘baby boomers’ need care.
Directions • We would like to try this again – with more states and more respondents • We would also like to interview technology adoption leaders in assisted living facilities for a ‘qualitative’ view of the information