A Smart Technology Intervention in the Homes of People with Mental Illness and Physical Comorbidities
Appropriate support in the home may not be readily available for people living in the community with mental illness and physical comorbidities. This mixed-method study evaluated a smart home technology intervention for individuals within this population as well as providing health care providers wit...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/1/406 |
| _version_ | 1827617154425421824 |
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| author | Cheryl Forchuk Abraham Rudnick Deborah Corring Daniel Lizotte Jeffrey S. Hoch Richard Booth Barbara Frampton Rupinder Mann Jonathan Serrato |
| author_facet | Cheryl Forchuk Abraham Rudnick Deborah Corring Daniel Lizotte Jeffrey S. Hoch Richard Booth Barbara Frampton Rupinder Mann Jonathan Serrato |
| author_sort | Cheryl Forchuk |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Appropriate support in the home may not be readily available for people living in the community with mental illness and physical comorbidities. This mixed-method study evaluated a smart home technology intervention for individuals within this population as well as providing health care providers with health monitoring capabilities. The study recruited 13 participants who were offered a smartphone, a touchscreen monitor, and health devices, including smartwatches, weigh scales, and automated medication dispensers. Healthcare providers were able to track health device data, which were synchronized with the Lawson Integrated DataBase. Participants completed interviews at baseline as well as at 6-month and 12-month follow-ups. Focus groups with participants and care providers were conducted separately at 6-month and 12-month time points. As the sample size was too small for meaningful statistical inference, only descriptive statistics were presented. However, the qualitative analyses revealed improvements in physical and mental health, as well as enhanced communication with care providers and friends/family. Technical difficulties and considerations are addressed. Ethics analyses revealed advancement in equity and fairness, while policy analyses revealed plentiful opportunities for informing policymakers. The economic costs are also discussed. Further studies and technological interventions are recommended to explore and expand upon in-home technologies that can be easily implemented into the living environment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:40:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9e3dd1f215ab4d9cad66f705128f0430 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:40:55Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-9e3dd1f215ab4d9cad66f705128f04302023-12-02T00:56:33ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202022-12-0123140610.3390/s23010406A Smart Technology Intervention in the Homes of People with Mental Illness and Physical ComorbiditiesCheryl Forchuk0Abraham Rudnick1Deborah Corring2Daniel Lizotte3Jeffrey S. Hoch4Richard Booth5Barbara Frampton6Rupinder Mann7Jonathan Serrato8Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON N6C 2R5, CanadaDepartment of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 2E2, CanadaLawson Health Research Institute, London, ON N6C 2R5, CanadaDepartment of Computer Science, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, CanadaDepartment of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USAArthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, CanadaOntario Peer Development Initiative, Toronto, ON M5S 2R4, CanadaLawson Health Research Institute, London, ON N6C 2R5, CanadaLawson Health Research Institute, London, ON N6C 2R5, CanadaAppropriate support in the home may not be readily available for people living in the community with mental illness and physical comorbidities. This mixed-method study evaluated a smart home technology intervention for individuals within this population as well as providing health care providers with health monitoring capabilities. The study recruited 13 participants who were offered a smartphone, a touchscreen monitor, and health devices, including smartwatches, weigh scales, and automated medication dispensers. Healthcare providers were able to track health device data, which were synchronized with the Lawson Integrated DataBase. Participants completed interviews at baseline as well as at 6-month and 12-month follow-ups. Focus groups with participants and care providers were conducted separately at 6-month and 12-month time points. As the sample size was too small for meaningful statistical inference, only descriptive statistics were presented. However, the qualitative analyses revealed improvements in physical and mental health, as well as enhanced communication with care providers and friends/family. Technical difficulties and considerations are addressed. Ethics analyses revealed advancement in equity and fairness, while policy analyses revealed plentiful opportunities for informing policymakers. The economic costs are also discussed. Further studies and technological interventions are recommended to explore and expand upon in-home technologies that can be easily implemented into the living environment.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/1/406smart technologysmart homesmental healtheHealthphysical health |
| spellingShingle | Cheryl Forchuk Abraham Rudnick Deborah Corring Daniel Lizotte Jeffrey S. Hoch Richard Booth Barbara Frampton Rupinder Mann Jonathan Serrato A Smart Technology Intervention in the Homes of People with Mental Illness and Physical Comorbidities Sensors smart technology smart homes mental health eHealth physical health |
| title | A Smart Technology Intervention in the Homes of People with Mental Illness and Physical Comorbidities |
| title_full | A Smart Technology Intervention in the Homes of People with Mental Illness and Physical Comorbidities |
| title_fullStr | A Smart Technology Intervention in the Homes of People with Mental Illness and Physical Comorbidities |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Smart Technology Intervention in the Homes of People with Mental Illness and Physical Comorbidities |
| title_short | A Smart Technology Intervention in the Homes of People with Mental Illness and Physical Comorbidities |
| title_sort | smart technology intervention in the homes of people with mental illness and physical comorbidities |
| topic | smart technology smart homes mental health eHealth physical health |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/1/406 |
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