A qualitative exploration of participants' perspectives and experiences of novel digital health infrastructure to enhance patient care in remote communities within the Home Health Project.

Abstract

The Home Health Project, set on Clare Island, five kilometres off the Irish Atlantic coast, is a pilot exploration of ways in which various forms of technology can be utilised to improve healthcare for individuals living in isolated communities. The integration of digital health technologies presents enormous potential to revolutionise the accessibility of healthcare systems for those living in remote communities, allowing patient care to function outside of traditional healthcare settings. This study aims to explore the personal experiences and perspectives of participants who are using digital technologies in the delivery of their healthcare as part of the Home Health Project. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine members of the Clare Island community participating in the Home Health Project. Interviews took place in-person, in June 2023. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were analysed inductively using reflexive thematic analysis. To identify determinants of engagement with the Home Health Project, the data was then deductively coded to the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and organised into themes. Seven of the possible 14 TDF domains were supported by the interview data as influences on engagement with the Project: Knowledge, Beliefs about capabilities, Optimism, Intentions, Environmental context and resources, Social influences and Emotion. Overall, participants evaluated the Home Health Project as being of high quality which contributed to self-reported increases in health literacy, autonomy, and feeling well supported in having their health concerns addressed. There was some apprehension related to data protection, coupled with a desire for extended training to address aspects of digital illiteracy. Future iterations can capitalise on the findings of this study by refining the technologies to reflect tailored health information, personalised to the individual user.