Barriers and facilitators influencing implementation of care technology for people with intellectual disabilities: A cross-sectional study among care professionals.

BACKGROUND: Implementation issues often hinder reaching the potential of care technology to improve daily lives of people with intellectual disabilities. We investigated barriers to and facilitators of implementing different technology modalities (app/social robot/sensor/domotics) in long-term care. METHOD: Care professionals (N = 83) from 12 Dutch disability care organisations completed a customised measurement instrument for determinants of innovations (MIDI) questionnaire. RESULTS: Out of 27 determinants, 20 were identified as facilitators and 16 as barriers. We highlight common barriers: few colleagues who work with the technology; no (awareness of) formal ratification of technology use; no arrangements regarding turnover of staff using the technology; unsettling organisational changes; technological defects and limited IT preconditions. CONCLUSIONS: The results, which could be combined and compared across study sites, provide insight into which implementation determinants were already well addressed, and where there is ground to gain when implementing care technology in disability care organisations.

[Digital care in disability care-because of corona finally a breakthrough! Or not?] / Beeldzorg in de gehandicaptenzorg ­ door corona eindelijk een doorbraak! Of toch niet?

Covid-19 accelerated the implementation of digital care in three organisations in disability care. From 2021, they exchanged experiences in the program 'Innovatie-impuls Gehandicaptenzorg'. We examined how professionals, clients and family experienced digital care. The interviews showed that they are happy with the possibilities that digital care offer, but also that they mainly see it as back-up. For sustainable implementation of digital care, a vision is needed on the future of care and the role of digital care therein-these results are helpful for that.

Upgrading physical activity counselling in primary care in the Netherlands.

The systematic development of a counselling protocol in primary care combined with a monitoring and feedback tool to support chronically ill patients to achieve a more active lifestyle. An iterative user-centred design method was used to develop a counselling protocol: the Self-management Support Programme (SSP). The needs and preferences of future users of this protocol were identified by analysing the literature, through qualitative research, and by consulting an expert panel. The counselling protocol is based on the Five A's model. Practice nurses apply motivational interviewing, risk communication and goal setting to support self-management of patients in planning how to achieve a more active lifestyle. The protocol consists of a limited number of behaviour change consultations intertwined with interaction with and responses from the It's LiFe! monitoring and feedback tool. This tool provides feedback on patients' physical activity levels via an app on their smartphone. A summary of these levels is automatically sent to the general practice so that practice nurses can respond to this information. A SSP to stimulate physical activity was defined based on user requirements of care providers and patients, followed by a review by a panel of experts. By following this user-centred approach, the organization of care was carefully taken into account, which has led to a practical and affordable protocol for physical activity counselling combined with mobile technology.

It's LiFe! Mobile and Web-Based Monitoring and Feedback Tool Embedded in Primary Care Increases Physical Activity: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Physical inactivity is a major public health problem. The It's LiFe! monitoring and feedback tool embedded in the Self-Management Support Program (SSP) is an attempt to stimulate physical activity in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or type 2 diabetes treated in primary care. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate whether the SSP combined with the use of the monitoring and feedback tool leads to more physical activity compared to usual care and to evaluate the additional effect of using this tool on top of the SSP. METHODS: This was a three-armed cluster randomised controlled trial. Twenty four family practices were randomly assigned to one of three groups in which participants received the tool + SSP (group 1), the SSP (group 2), or care as usual (group 3). The primary outcome measure was minutes of physical activity per day. The secondary outcomes were general and exercise self-efficacy and quality of life. Outcomes were measured at baseline after the intervention (4-6 months), and 3 months thereafter. RESULTS: The group that received the entire intervention (tool + SSP) showed more physical activity directly after the intervention than Group 3 (mean difference 11.73, 95% CI 6.21-17.25; P<.001), and Group 2 (mean difference 7.86, 95% CI 2.18-13.54; P=.003). Three months after the intervention, this effect was still present and significant (compared to Group 3: mean difference 10.59, 95% CI 4.94-16.25; P<.001; compared to Group 2: mean difference 9.41, 95% CI 3.70-15.11; P<.001). There was no significant difference in effect between Groups 2 and 3 on both time points. There was no interaction effect for disease type. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of counseling with the tool proved an effective way to stimulate physical activity. Counseling without the tool was not effective. Future research about the cost-effectiveness and application under more tailored conditions and in other target groups is recommended. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01867970, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01867970 (archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6a2qR5BSr).

Concurrent validity of the MOX activity monitor compared to the ActiGraph GT3X.

BACKGROUND: The It's LiFe! monitoring and feedback tool embedded in primary care practice is promising in helping people to achieve an active lifestyle. This new tool consists of an activity monitor (the MOX), which is connected to a smartphone application and to a Web service for patients and care providers. The aim of this study was to develop thresholds for the moderate and vigorous activity categories and examine the concurrent validity of the MOX in relation to the ActiGraph (Pensacola, FL) GT3X in healthy participants and chronically ill patients (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and type 2 diabetes) in a laboratory situation and during daily living. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants wore the two activity monitors simultaneously on the lower back. An incremental treadmill protocol was executed by 8 healthy adults and 10 patients. For daily living measurements, 15 healthy adults and 12 patients wore the devices for 6-7 days. Daily living data were corrected for non-wear time, using diary information. RESULTS: On the treadmill there was an excellent correlation between the ActiGraph and MOX counts (mean r=0.99 in healthy participants and mean r=0.98 in patients). Correlation during daily living was moderate (mean r=0.72) in healthy adults and good (mean r=0.82) in patients. Bland-Altman plots showed no perfect agreement between the two devices in minutes per category. However, a histogram of misclassified minutes showed that misclassification occurred around category thresholds. CONCLUSIONS: The MOX is capable of measuring physical activity and can be used in the It's LiFe!

A monitoring and feedback tool embedded in a counselling protocol to increase physical activity of patients with COPD or type 2 diabetes in primary care: study protocol of a three-arm cluster randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity is important for a healthy lifestyle. Although physical activity can delay complications and decrease the burden of the disease, the level of activity of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM2) is often far from optimal. To stimulate physical activity, a monitoring and feedback tool, consisting of an accelerometer linked to a smart phone and webserver (It's LiFe! tool), and a counselling protocol for practice nurses in primary care was developed (the Self-management Support Program). The main objective of this study is to measure the longitudinal effects of this counselling protocol and the added value of using the tool. METHODS/DESIGN: This three-armed cluster randomised controlled trial with 120 participants with COPD and 120 participants with DM2 (aged 40-70), compares the counselling protocol with and without the use of the tool (group 1 and 2) with usual care (group 3). Recruitment takes place at GP practices in the southern regions of the Netherlands. Randomisation takes place at the practice level. The intended sample (three arms of 8 practices) powers the study to detect a 10-minute difference of moderate and intense physical activity per day between groups 1 and 3. Participants in the intervention groups have to visit the practice nurse 3-4 times for physical activity counselling, in a 4-6-month period. Specific activity goals tailored to the individual patient's preferences and needs will be set. In addition, participants in group 1 will be instructed to use the tool in daily life. The primary outcome, physical activity, will be measured in all groups with a physical activity monitor (PAM). Secondary outcomes are quality of life, general - and exercise - self-efficacy, and health status. Follow-up will take place after 6 and 9 months. Separately, a process evaluation will be conducted to explore reasons for trial non-participation, and the intervention's acceptability for participating patients and nurses. DISCUSSION: Results of this study will give insight into the effects of the It's LiFe! monitoring and feedback tool combined with care from a practice nurse for people with COPD or DM2 on physical activity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01867970.

Experiences of multidisciplinary development team members during user-centered design of telecare products and services: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: User-centered design (UCD) methodologies can help take the needs and requirements of potential end-users into account during the development of innovative telecare products and services. Understanding how members of multidisciplinary development teams experience the UCD process might help to gain insight into factors that members with different backgrounds consider critical during the development of telecare products and services. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to explore how members of multidisciplinary development teams experienced the UCD process of telecare products and services. The secondary objective was to identify differences and similarities in the barriers and facilitators they experienced. METHODS: Twenty-five members of multidisciplinary development teams of four Research and Development (R&D) projects participated in this study. The R&D projects aimed to develop telecare products and services that can support self-management in elderly people or patients with chronic conditions. Seven participants were representatives of end-users (elderly persons or patients with chronic conditions), three were professional end-users (geriatrician and nurses), five were engineers, four were managers (of R&D companies or engineering teams), and six were researchers. All participants were interviewed by a researcher who was not part of their own development team. The following topics were discussed during the interviews: (1) aim of the project, (2) role of the participant, (3) experiences during the development process, (4) points of improvement, and (5) what the project meant to the participant. RESULTS: Experiences of participants related to the following themes: (1) creating a development team, (2) expectations regarding responsibilities and roles, (3) translating user requirements into technical requirements, (4) technical challenges, (5) evaluation of developed products and services, and (6) valorization. Multidisciplinary team members from different backgrounds often reported similar experienced barriers (eg, different members of the development team speak a "different language") and facilitators (eg, team members should voice expectations at the start of the project to prevent miscommunication at a later stage). However, some experienced barriers and facilitators were reported only by certain groups of participants. For example, only managers reported the experience that having different ideas about what a good business case is within one development team was a barrier, whereas only end-users emphasized the facilitating role of project management in end-user participation and the importance of continuous feedback from researchers on input of end-users. CONCLUSIONS: Many similarities seem to exist between the experienced barriers and facilitators of members of multidisciplinary development teams during UCD of telecare products and services. However, differences in experiences between team members from various backgrounds exist as well. Insights into these similarities and differences can improve understanding between team members from different backgrounds, which can optimize collaboration during the development of telecare products and services.

Usability testing of a monitoring and feedback tool to stimulate physical activity.

INTRODUCTION: A MONITORING AND FEEDBACK TOOL TO STIMULATE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, CONSISTING OF AN ACTIVITY SENSOR, SMARTPHONE APPLICATION (APP), AND WEBSITE FOR PATIENTS AND THEIR PRACTICE NURSES, HAS BEEN DEVELOPED: the 'It's LiFe!' tool. In this study the usability of the tool was evaluated by technology experts and end users (people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or type 2 diabetes, with ages from 40-70 years), to improve the user interfaces and content of the tool. PATIENTS AND METHODS: THE STUDY HAD FOUR PHASES: 1) a heuristic evaluation with six technology experts; 2) a usability test in a laboratory by five patients; 3) a pilot in real life wherein 20 patients used the tool for 3 months; and 4) a final lab test by five patients. In both lab tests (phases 2 and 4) qualitative data were collected through a thinking-aloud procedure and video recordings, and quantitative data through questions about task complexity, text comprehensiveness, and readability. In addition, the post-study system usability questionnaire (PSSUQ) was completed for the app and the website. In the pilot test (phase 3), all patients were interviewed three times and the Software Usability Measurement Inventory (SUMI) was completed. RESULTS: After each phase, improvements were made, mainly to the layout and text. The main improvement was a refresh button for active data synchronization between activity sensor, app, and server, implemented after connectivity problems in the pilot test. The mean score on the PSSUQ for the website improved from 5.6 (standard deviation [SD] 1.3) to 6.5 (SD 0.5), and for the app from 5.4 (SD 1.5) to 6.2 (SD 1.1). Satisfaction in the pilot was not very high according to the SUMI. DISCUSSION: The use of laboratory versus real-life tests and expert-based versus user-based tests revealed a wide range of usability issues. The usability of the It's LiFe! tool improved considerably during the study.

A pilot study of a tool to stimulate physical activity in patients with COPD or type 2 diabetes in primary care.

We tested the performance, acceptance and user satisfaction of a tool to stimulate physical activity. The tool consisted of an accelerometer, a smartphone app and a server/web application. Patients received feedback concerning their physical activity relative to a goal, which was set in dialogue with their practice nurse. Nurses could monitor their patients' physical activity via a website. Twenty patients with COPD or type 2 diabetes used the tool for three months, combined with behaviour change counselling. Physical activity data were collected at the server and a log file was used to record technical problems. We interviewed patients and nurses after every consultation. At baseline, and after the intervention, patients completed questionnaires. Participants were positive about the tool, although motivation dropped when technical problems occurred caused by log-in and connectivity errors. On average, physical activity increased from 29 (SD 21) min per day in the first two weeks to 39 (SD 24) min per day in the last two weeks (P = 0.02), and quality of life scores increased from 0.76 (SD 0.21) to 0.84 (SD 0.17) (P = 0.04). Provided that no connectivity problems occur, the tool is a feasible intervention when embedded in primary care, and has a positive effect on physical activity levels.

The development of a mobile monitoring and feedback tool to stimulate physical activity of people with a chronic disease in primary care: a user-centered design.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity is an important aspect in the treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or type-2 diabetes. A monitoring and feedback tool combined with guidance by a primary care provider might be a successful method to enhance the level of physical activity in these patients. As a prerequisite for useful technology, it is important to involve the end-users in the design process from an early stage. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the user requirements for a tool to stimulate physical activity, embedded in primary care practice. The leading principle of this tool is to change behavior by self-monitoring, goal-setting, and feedback. METHODS: The research team collected qualitative data among 15 patients, 16 care professionals, and several experts. A prototype was developed in three stages. In stage 1, the literature was searched to identify end-users and context. In stage 2, the literature, experts and patient representatives were consulted to set up a use case with the general idea of the innovation. In stage 3, individual interviews and focus groups were held to identify the end-user requirements. Based on these requirements a prototype was built by the engineering team. RESULTS: The development process has led to a tool that generally meets the requirements of the end-users. A tri-axial activity sensor, worn on the hip, is connected by Bluetooth to a smartphone. In an app, quantitative feedback is given about the amount of activity and goals reached by means of graphical visualization, and an image shows a sun when the goal is reached. Overviews about activity per half an hour, per day, week, and month are provided. In the menu of the app and on a secured website, patients can enter information in individual sessions or read feedback messages generated by the system. The practice nurse can see the results of all patients on a secure webpage and can then discuss the results and set personalized goals in consultation with the patient. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that a user-centered approach brings in valuable details (such as the requirements for feedback in activity minutes per day) to improve the fit between the user, technology, and the organization of care, which is important for the usability and acceptability of the tool. The tool embedded in primary care will be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial.

Get moving: the practice nurse is watching you! A case study of the user-centred design process and testing of a web-based coaching system to stimulate the physical activity of chronically ill patients in primary care.

BACKGROUND: The system informs the nurse about levels of physical activity in the daily living of patients who are using the It's LiFe! tool. The tool consists of an accelerometer that transfers data to a smartphone, which is subsequently connected to a server. Nurses can monitor patients' physical activity via a secured website. Physical activity levels are measured in minutes per day compared with pre-set activity goals, which are set in dialogue with the patient. OBJECTIVE: To examine user requirements and to evaluate the usability of the secured website, in order to increase the probability of effective use by nurses. METHOD: The needs and preferences of nurses towards the system were determined through qualitative research. The usability of the system was evaluated in a laboratory situation and during a three-month pilot study. RESULTS: A monitoring and feedback system to support patients in their intention to be more active was developed in a systematic way. Automatically generated feedback messages were defined based on the requirements of nurses. The results from the usability tests gave insights into how to improve the structure and quality of the information provided. Nurses were positive about the features and ease of use of the system, but made critical remarks about the time that its use entails. CONCLUSION: The system supports nurses when performing physical activity counselling in a structured and profound way. The opportunity to support self-management of patients in between regular consultations needs further investigation, and adaptation into the clinical workflow of the nurses.