Citizens' Perceptions and Experiences of Self-Measurements in Telehealth - A Case Study

The application of telehealth and citizens' active engagement in managing their health are two of the main strategies driving the digital transformation of healthcare in Denmark. Telehealth enhances accessibility, reduces transportation needs, and enables home-based care, particularly for citizens with chronic conditions, thereby decreasing hospital admissions. Increasingly, telehealth is also used to monitor citizens with acute conditions who would previously have required hospitalization. This development underscores the need for a deeper understanding of telehealth from a citizen perspective. This study examines how citizens perceive and experience self-measurement, as this practice is key to realizing the full potential of telehealth. Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted with citizens enrolled in the PreCare Clinic, a digital healthcare model based on the Epital Care Model (ECM). Participants were aged 65-93 years and lived with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and/or heart failure. The findings show that measurement behaviors manifest as routines, rhythms, or variable practices, while measurement affordances relate to progression, screening, validation, and goal setting. Overall, the study provides a nuanced understanding of citizens' engagement in self-measurement and offers insights to inform the design and implementation of future telehealth interventions.