Multi Perspective Considerations for Health Smart Home: Early Phase Exploratory Study

AimsThis study engaged key stakeholders-older adults, family caregivers, home care support workers, nurses, and home healthcare leaders-to explore perspectives on essential components and integration into home care models, and to explore the role of their technology readiness for health smart homes adoption.DesignA qualitative methodology with a quantitative component, early-phase exploratory design.MethodsSemi-structured interviews underwent qualitative thematic analysis, with cross-case analysis comparing stakeholder perspectives to identify convergences and divergences. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse Technology Readiness Index (TRI 2.0) survey data to provide background and context to the qualitative findings.ResultsAmong 18 participants-older adults (n = 6), family caregivers (n = 2), nurses (n = 7), and support workers/healthcare leaders (n = 3)-findings reflected optimism for health smart home adoption and its potential to support ageing in place. Nurses and care workers saw health smart home as a tool for improving care coordination and quality of life. Key adoption considerations included education, data visualisation, privacy, and security. Technology readiness scores were moderate, with nurses scoring highest (3.52), followed by caregivers (3.41), support workers (3.13), and older adults (3.10).ConclusionWhile stakeholders were open to integrating health smart home into home care, concerns around usability, security, and training must be addressed to facilitate adoption.Implications for the professionFindings suggest that while health smart home technology holds promise for enhancing ageing in place, varying levels of technology readiness across stakeholders highlight the need for tailored education and support strategies to ensure successful implementation.Problem addressedDespite a strong preference for ageing in place among older adults, integrating health smart home technologies into home care remains challenging. Key issues include ensuring intuitive functionality, protecting privacy, ...