[Trial of information sharing for home-based patient care using Cybozu Live , a cloud-based groupware]

Home-based patient care involves several different care services of specialties, so that it is crucial to share patient information effectively among the caregivers. To overcome the problems with conventional means for storing and sharing information, we introduced Cybozu Live , a cloud-based groupware provided for free of charge. As a result, the amount of information shared increased while telephone and facsimile transactions dramatically decreased. A questionnaire survey revealed that the caregivers generally appreciated the use of this groupware; they felt that more information was needed for tasks while the load of using telephone and facsimile is minimal. We found the followings through our experiences: 1 ) Simply sharing information can largely contribute to supporting patients and their families; 2 ) Awareness of patients, families and caregivers is more important in the homecare information sharing than are numerical data; 3 ) Effective information sharing creates a sense of togetherness of the team beyond mere co-operation among the staff; 4 ) Effective information sharing provides learning opportunities for caregivers; and 5 ) An appropriate tool such as Cybozu Live is needed for effective information sharing.