Chew Hui-Jun, Freeman Shannon, Jackson Piper, Hemingway Dawn, Klassen-Ross Tammy, Martin-Khan Melinda, Banner Davina
Centre for Technology Adoption for Aging in the North, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada.
School of Health Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada.
Digit Health. 2024 Dec 19;10:20552076241303195. doi: 10.1177/20552076241303195. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments across the world implemented processes and policies to limit the spread of COVID-19, especially in long-term care (LTC) homes. This led to changes in technology use for persons living in LTC homes, their families and friends, as well as the paid workforce dedicated to caring for them.
The study describes the role of technology and its impact on the experiences of LTC staff working in northern and rural areas in Western Canada during COVID-19.
A secondary analysis of semi-structured interviews with 52 LTC staff was conducted. Qualitative data was analysed thematically using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis approach.
Analysis of the study data revealed that new and innovative uses of technology emerged in the LTC setting during COVID-19, including technologies to support communication and collaboration with medical and health care professionals external to the LTC homes. Video-conferencing technology were rapidly implemented to facilitate virtual visits for LTC residents to connect to their families, further new streaming services were introduced to support recreational activities, including live music and spiritual services. LTC residents required significant support from staff to participate in virtual activities. Inadequate Internet infrastructure and scheduling difficulties in the context of severe staff shortages created challenges in technology adoption.
This research provides insight into how technology can support LTC teams in northern and rural communities, as well as supports needed for LTC residents and staff to integrate technology effectively. The study informs actionable insights for those working in rural LTC settings.
在新冠疫情期间，世界各国政府实施了各种流程和政策来限制新冠病毒的传播，尤其是在长期护理机构中。这导致了长期护理机构中的居民、他们的家人和朋友以及专门照顾他们的付费工作人员在技术使用方面发生了变化。
本研究描述了在新冠疫情期间，技术在加拿大西部北部和农村地区长期护理机构工作人员工作体验中的作用及其影响。
对52名长期护理机构工作人员的半结构化访谈进行了二次分析。使用布劳恩和克拉克的主题分析方法对定性数据进行了主题分析。
对研究数据的分析表明，在新冠疫情期间，长期护理机构中出现了技术的新的和创新性用途，包括支持与长期护理机构外部的医疗和医护专业人员进行沟通与协作的技术。视频会议技术迅速得到应用，以方便长期护理机构居民与家人进行虚拟探访，还引入了更多新的流媒体服务来支持娱乐活动，包括现场音乐和宗教服务。长期护理机构居民需要工作人员的大量支持才能参与虚拟活动。在严重人员短缺的情况下，互联网基础设施不足和日程安排困难给技术采用带来了挑战。
本研究深入了解了技术如何支持北部和农村社区的长期护理团队，以及长期护理机构居民和工作人员有效整合技术所需的支持。该研究为在农村长期护理机构工作的人员提供了可操作的见解。
