Technology in care homes project (version 1.3)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An exploration into the implementation of surveillance and monitoring technology in care homes for people with dementia
IRAS ID
136811
Contact name
Alex Hall
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Research summary
There are around 800,000 people in the UK with dementia, and this figure is set to rise to 1.7 million in the next 40 years. A third of these people reside in care homes and there is a need to improve the quality of care within care homes. Improvement in quality of care may come from the use of electronic technologies, including a variety of sensors and alert systems used to monitor the wellbeing of residents and notify staff of potential risks. These technologies can improve safety, promote mobility and independence, and reduce staff burden. However, there are ethical concerns associated with their use, including a balance of ensuring safety and duty of care without compromising privacy and dignity.
Research to date has mainly focused on the ethical debate surrounding these monitoring technologies. Little is known about how these technologies are actually implemented in practice and whether they might become sustainable. There are substantial gaps in our knowledge regarding how people make sense of these technologies, how they becoming involved in using them, what work they do to implement them in practice, and how they appraise the impact of these technologies.
This proposed piece of qualitative research aims to contribute to filling these gaps. Research will be conducted in care homes involved with using monitoring technologies. A minimum of two homes will be approached to participate but more may be required as data collection progresses. The researcher will conduct observations and interviews with staff, relatives and residents to explore their experiences of using these technologies. These data will be recorded and explored to highlight the main issues raised by participants. In addition, care home policies relevant to the use of these technologies, and promotional materials produced by the manufacturers of these technologies, will be explored to provide additional information.
REC name
North West - Haydock Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/NW/0752
Date of REC Opinion
20 Nov 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion