Boessen April B C G, Verwey Renée, Duymelinck Saskia, van Rossum Erik
Centre of Expertise for Innovative Care and Technology (EIZT), Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, Heerlen, Netherlands.
J Aging Res. 2017;2017:3076859. doi: 10.1155/2017/3076859. Epub 2017 Aug 15.
Increasing numbers of persons with dementia (PWD) augment the pressure on dementia care, especially informal care. Care technology can support the network of PWD. We tested the usability and perceived value of an online platform that aims to support the communication and collaboration between family and professional caregivers of PWD. A mixed methods design was used for this pilot study, including semistructured interviews, a postal questionnaire, and monitoring of log data. Seven family and thirty-two professional caregivers involved with four PWD participated during a 10-week period. Overall, the results indicate that the platform is easy to use and valuable for both family and professional caregivers. They felt better informed and prepared regarding the situation of the PWD and felt supported by the more direct lines of communication within the network. Also, a broadening and deepening of the relationship between family and professional caregivers was experienced. Although connecting care organizations' record systems with the platform and an active contribution of all care professionals involved (e.g., general practitioners and those working at day care units) were suggested for optimal use of the platform, family and professional caregivers positively valued the platform for improving the efficiency and ease of communication and collaboration.
痴呆症患者（PWD）数量的不断增加给痴呆症护理带来了更大压力，尤其是非正式护理。护理技术可以为痴呆症患者网络提供支持。我们测试了一个在线平台的可用性和感知价值，该平台旨在支持痴呆症患者的家庭护理人员和专业护理人员之间的沟通与协作。本试点研究采用了混合方法设计，包括半结构化访谈、邮寄问卷以及日志数据监测。在为期10周的时间里，有7名家庭护理人员和32名涉及4名痴呆症患者的专业护理人员参与其中。总体而言，结果表明该平台易于使用，对家庭护理人员和专业护理人员都很有价值。他们对痴呆症患者的情况了解得更清楚，准备也更充分，并且感到网络内更直接的沟通线路为他们提供了支持。此外，家庭护理人员和专业护理人员之间的关系也得到了拓展和深化。尽管有人建议将护理机构的记录系统与该平台连接起来，并让所有参与的护理专业人员（如全科医生和日托机构工作人员）积极参与，以实现该平台的最佳使用，但家庭护理人员和专业护理人员对该平台在提高沟通与协作的效率和便利性方面给予了积极评价。
