Incorporation of Information Technology into Assisted Health Care: An Empirical Study Michelle Delmonico and Bruce White

 IS/IT pervades almost everything  In healthcare, IT does ‘everything’ from electronic health records to computer guided surgery.  This paper investigates technology adoption in assisted living healthcare facilities. Overview

 The main author is Michelle (Merrill) Delmonico. At the time this was written, Michelle was an MBA student at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT. Michelle has worked in healthcare.  The secondary author is Bruce White, Professor of Information Systems Management at Quinnipiac University. Michelle started this study as an independent study at Quinnipiac The authors

 The authors developed a questionnaire that was sent to over 100 assisted living facilities in Pennsylvania and Connecticut.  The questionnaire was distributed by paper / standard mail The study

 We found early on that assisted living facilities might be in the ‘backwater’ of IT adoption and use. Where a similar survey of acute care hospitals was distributed using ‘SurveyMonkey’, we found few assisted living facilities with websites or with easily findable addresses.  Thus, the paper surveys were distributed addressed to ‘administrator’ The study continued

 The questionnaire had 15 questions.  Some questions:  Does your facility utilize electronic health records?  What types of monitoring and sensor devices are utilized?  Do residents have wireless emergency response devices?  Does your facility have any robotic assistance Questionnaire

 Does your facility have any web based software programs to enable providers, caregivers and/or family members to monitor residents?  How important is adapting new or advanced technology to your facility?  How frequently is the pursuit of advanced or new technologies discussed at board/management facility meetings? Questions - continued

 Does your facility have a strategic plan for implementing advanced or new technologies to improve resident care?  For how long has your facility planned and budgeted financial resources for the purchase of advanced or new technologies?  What do you perceive to be the biggest barriers in implementing aging service Technologies? Questions - continued

 What strategies have you employed to overcome the barriers to implementing aging service technologies?  Are there any questions / suggestions / concerns about implementing various technologies into assisted living facilities? Questions - continued

Our Results

Use of Sensing Devices

Budgeting for Technology

Barriers to Implementing Technology

Implementation Strategies

 Positive:  High adoption rate of various sensors Anti-wandering doors Wireless devices (pendants, etc.) Summary

 87% have not looked at electronic health records  76% do not have strategic plans for implementing technology  38% have NEVER budgeted for information technologies Negatives

 71% say ‘cost’ is the biggest barrier to bringing technology solutions in to assisted living facilities  52% have ‘anti-wandering’ doors  (Many of these results are in general agreement with other studies, include CAST – the Center for Aging Services Technologies) As expected

 This was an initial study  We selected two eastern states  We had a fairly low response rate  We found it hard to get the surveys to the right persons and to have them fill it out  We think this does establish an early ‘baseline’ and that assisted living facilities will continue to adopt technologies as the ‘baby boomers’ need care. Observations

 We would like to try this again – with more states and more respondents  We would also like to interview technology adoption leaders in assisted living facilities for a ‘qualitative’ view of the information Directions

Questions, Comments, Suggestions?

Thank you!!!