A Web-Based Communication Platform to Improve Home Care Services in Norway (DigiHelse): Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Digital Health Technology Assessment
• Home Care Service Management

Background:

• Norway's home care services face increasing demand amid budget constraints.
• Web-based technology integration aims to improve communication, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in home care.
• DigiHelse is a platform developed to support Norwegian home care services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the usability and economic feasibility of the DigiHelse platform in four Oslo districts.
• To assess the potential future value of DigiHelse using registry and behavioral data.
• To apply early health technology assessment principles, including predictive value of behavior data.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental difference-in-difference design was employed over a one-year pilot study.
• Outcome measures included changes in health consumption, visit rates, and unnecessary trips.
• Descriptive behavioral data from the DigiHelse platform were analyzed for usability assessment.

Main Results:

• All outcome measures showed an increase, with no statistically significant improvements.
• Projected costs are expected to exceed savings by €67 million (US $75 million) over ten years.
• Only 3.55% of recipients actively used the DigiHelse platform after one year.

Conclusions:

• Low user adoption rates significantly impacted the platform's expected performance and economic feasibility.
• Behavioral data is valuable for assessing usability and identifying inefficiencies in digital health tools.
• Further investigation into user non-adoption is necessary for targeted improvements to the DigiHelse platform.