Proposed Topic (Most preferred): :
Research and Innovations (new projects / technology / innovations / service models)
Proposed Topic (Second preferred): :
Clinical Safety and Quality Service III (Projects aiming at quality service to patients and their carers)
Authors (including presenting author) :
Jim CH(1), Sit LMK(1), Fan SHU(1), Tse LY(1), Tang LM(1), Lau A(1), Chow CH(1), Shin HH(1), Tong CKA(1), Wong SY(1), Li PM(1), Chow WK(1), Kwong TN(1), Ho CM(1), Au KM(1)
Affiliation :
(1) Occupational Therapy Department, Tai Po Hospital
Introduction :
Gerontechnology (GT) empowers patients to live independently, reducing institutional care and caregiver burden. It emerges as a transformative solution to shift traditional care model towards smarter care, enabling patients’ self-care and community-based care through personalized technology-enhanced products. However, significant gaps exist in terms of lacking knowledge and access to GT information in patients, hindering its acceptance and utilization. This pilot project addresses these gaps by promoting GT acceptance through education and identifying service needs to maximize GT utilization. Through cultivating technological integration, patients are empowered in an increasingly digital healthcare landscape.
Objectives :
1) To enhance patients’ knowledge and acceptance of GT
2) To identify service needs regarding GT
Methodology :
Psychiatric and non-psychiatric in- and day-patients of Tai Po Hospital with assessed need for GT products were recruited. Occupational therapists provided single 20-30 minutes individual or group face-to-face education sessions with multimedia support introducing GT and its products, including selection and purchase methods. Pre- and post-education surveys assessed knowledge and acceptance changes using 0-10 points rating. Patients’ interested GT products and their perspectives towards product trial use service were investigated.
Result & Outcome :
70 (36 psychiatric, 34 non-psychiatric) patients were recruited from August to November 2023. Regarding knowledge changes, participants overall showed significant improvement in self-perceived knowledge of GT, product features, and purchase methods. Between group analyses revealed significantly greater improvement in the younger age group (<70) compared to the older age group (>=70), suggesting future GT promotion could focus on educating younger patients and caregivers who displayed better knowledge acquisition besides elderly patients. Regarding acceptance changes, participants showed significantly enhanced acceptance of GT, as evidenced by their increased readiness to use and purchase GT products. These changes were not significantly different between age groups or patient groups, indicating the project's comparable effectiveness in enhancing GT acceptance among patients of various ages and illnesses. Furthermore, 50% of participants exhibited positive attitudes (rating >=6) towards product trial use for enhancing purchase readiness. Common popular GT products were identified including smartwatches, sensor lights and smart pill boxes. These findings hinted future services to incorporate trial use of popular GT products to facilitate widespread utilization.
