Australian nurses in residential aged care homes wanted technology solutions that support their work in providing palliative care.
A recent study by Flinders University researchers explored the attitudes and expectations of nurses from 15 residential aged care facilities in using technology to provide end-of-life care.
FINDINGS
According to the study, whichfindings have been published in the journal BMC Nursing, aged care nurses face practical challenges in using technology in residential homes, particularly with navigating multiple, fragmented digital systems or platforms (including medication management portals, incident reporting systems, rostering platforms, training portal and digital systems for clinical documentation). This resulted in them double-handling data, increasing their workload. Nurses pointed out "poor interoperability" as another major issue.
Despite these challenges, the nurses expressed openness to using digital technologies, recognising their value in palliative care. They even emphasised the need for technologies that support symptom assessment and continuous monitoring of residents' conditions.
Nurses also wanted consolidated dashboards integrating various clinical data to monitor residents' decline. They also saw the potential of applying automation in error-prone areas like medication administration and documentation.
The study noted as well that the implementation of telehealth, which saw increasing adoption across aged care, is hindered by digital skills gaps among nurses, who are also finding difficulties managing telehealth sessions.
WHY IT MATTERS
"With more than a third of Australian deaths occurring in residential aged care facilities, it is critical we understand how technology can assist in end-of-life care," study lead author Dr Priyanka Vandersman said about their study. She is also a senior fellow at Flinders' Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying.
The perceived openness of aged care nurses to technology, according to their study, highlights the importance of addressing their challenges by developing or deploying technology that is user-friendly and that seamlessly fits into existing systems.
Researchers suggested engaging nurses in the design, development, and testing of technologies for potential adoption. It was also recommended to design "digital technologies that require minimal cognitive effort for effective use."
Moreover, the study authors noted an opportunity to enable personalised end-of-life care by adopting technology that reduces task burdens and fosters interpersonal caregiving, helping nurses better understand individual residents' unique needs and preferences.
Meanwhile, nurses also insisted on more training and support in using digital tools, including telehealth, for palliative care. "In aged care, these digital approaches can include helping with care planning and assisting with managing medications, but we need to ensure that nurses are equipped with the digital skills needed to use these tools effectively while continuing to provide high quality, person-centred care," said Dr Vandersman.
"By developing intuitive digital solutions and providing nurses with the right support and education, we can ensure technology complements compassionate caregiving, enhancing residents’ choice, dignity and quality of life in their final stages," she added.
THE LARGER TREND
The Australian government is pursuing reforms in the aged care sector, covering technology adoption and upgrades. For this year's budget, it earmarkedA$1.4 billion ($1 billion) for upgrading technology and digital infrastructure, meeting the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety in 2021.
In July, the Department of Health and Aged Care released the five-yearAged Care Data and Digital Strategy which guides the technology reforms in the sector. Half of its goals are secure data use and sharing and having data and digital foundations. The pipeline of initiatives to meet this strategy includes virtual nursing, AI pilots, and virtual reality technology trials. There is also a plan to develop an aged care data governance framework and interoperability and reference architecture.