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A Needs Assessment of Home Health Care
Presented by:
Sara E. McBride & Jenay M. Beer
School of Psychology, Human Factors and Aging lab
Bios
Sara and Jenay are both 3rd year students in the Human Factors and Aging Lab (directed by Wendy Rogers and Dan Fisk). They are currently working on our Masters degree. Sara is interested in Heath Care and Human-Automation Interaction. Jenay is interested in Health Care and Human-Robotic Interaction.
Description
Home health care has become an attractive alternative to hospital-based health care. However, the home health care professionals encounter substantial obstacles and challenges specific to the home environment they work in. Technological supports and other human factors interventions have the potential to alleviate health care providers of these burdens. However, it is critical for the designers of such technologies and interventions have a complete understanding of the challenges and the subsequent needs of the health care providers. In order to understand the providers specific and most critical needs, we conducted a needs assessment comprising three phases: 1) an extensive literature review; 2) subject matter expert interviews; and 3) structured interviews with home health care providers. We identified several significant sources of frustration and difficulty faced by providers including: medical device usage; patient education; family involvement; and provider isolation.
