Empowering Elders Through Technology
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
7/1/03 - 8/31/06
Kathryn Dansky, Department of Health Policy and Administration
Karl McCleary, Department of Health Policy and Administration
Daniel Lorence, Department of Health Policy and Administration
Health eTechnologies have the potential to change peoples' lives. Telehomecare is a technology that individuals use in their homes to communicate with health providers electronically. This technology can help them function at a higher level and avoid undesirable hospitalizations by making changes in their everyday behaviors. But research is needed to understand how telehomecare supports health behavior change and leads to improved health status.
This study investigated the impact of telehomecare on health outcomes of persons with heart failure. We proposed that the use of an electronic method of monitoring and transmitting health information facilitates patient empowerment, with subsequent effects on the patient's ability to manage her/his treatment regimen more effectively. The study explored the relationship between telehomecare and acquisition of knowledge, and aimed to show whether changes in knowledge levels translate to changes in behaviors and improved health outcomes. We compared the effects of two different telehomecare systems (nurse-directed vs. patient-directed) on knowledge, self-management, and health status. We investigated how the personal characteristics of older persons influence human-computer interaction and user satisfaction.
A further goal was to illuminate the attitudes of physicians regarding the use of telehomecare in the treatment of their elderly, community dwelling patients. This study builds on current initiatives in telehomecare, undertaken jointly by Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PHA), a trade association serving home health agencies, hospices and private duty homecare agencies in Pennsylvania. Results will inform managers and policymakers who are responsible for integrating eHealth mechanisms into chronic disease protocols, funding health care programs, and creating policies that support the use of information technology by all Americans.
Related Publications
Dansky, K., Bowles, K. and Vasey, J. (2006). The impact of telehealth on heart failure outcomes. Circulation, 113(21), 794. Abstracts from American Heart Association's 7th Scientific Forum on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke.