A Guide for Intentional Home Telehealth Assessment: Patient and Caregiver Perceptions

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Health Informatics
• Patient Care

Background:

• Telehealth offers expanded healthcare access, particularly for remote patient encounters.
• The Comprehensive Patient Assessment for Using Telehealth at Home (CAT Home) facilitates intentional remote patient meetings.
• Assessing the usability of telehealth interventions is crucial for seriously ill older adults and their caregivers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the user experience and perspectives of seriously ill older adults and their caregivers on the CAT Home intervention.
• To evaluate the usability and acceptance of technology in remote patient assessments within the home environment.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative description methodology.
• Semistructured interviews were conducted with seriously ill older adults and their caregivers.
• Exploration of participants' user experience with the CAT Home telehealth intervention.

Main Results:

• A continuum of technology acceptance was observed among participants.
• A combination of in-person and telehealth visits was considered ideal, with telehealth suitable for routine appointments.
• In-person assessments are necessary when remote communication is inadequate; key themes included satisfaction, detractors, usability, privacy, and timing.

Conclusions:

• Telehealth, facilitated by tools like CAT Home, enhances patient engagement and provider connection.
• Telehealth provides convenient care in the home but is not a complete substitute for in-person visits.
• User experience with telehealth interventions like CAT Home is influenced by a range of factors, including technology usability and the need for hybrid care models.