Huvudbild för Vitalis 2026

Digital twins to support person-centred care [PCC092]

Tisdag 5 maj 2026 16:45 - 17:00 G1

Rapportör: Sandra Saade

Spår: Digitalisation and eHealth

Health and social care systems are facing substantial challenges. Demographic shifts, with a growing proportion of older adults and a shrinking proportion of working-age adults, coincide with aging in place policies. This results in more older adults living at home with complex needs while healthcare systems face staff shortages. Digital health technologies offer opportunities to strengthen integrated, person-centred care. A digital twin for homecare will be developed, drawing on sensor data from older adults and their homes, GPS data on staff driving routes, and daily surveys capturing perceptions of care from both older adults and staff. This dynamic, individualized representation may support tailored care planning, proactive decision-making, and mutual insight into needs and preferences. Before entering the development phase, individual interviews and focus group discussions have been conducted with older adults receiving homecare services and homecare staff from two municipalities in Sweden, to explore their perspectives on digital twins and their potential use in homecare. Semi-structured interviews and two focus group discussions were held with 14 older adults, with diverse living and housing situations and diverse homecare needs. These data underwent reflexive thematic analysis. Four focus group discussions were conducted with 31 professionals occupying various roles within homecare services, and these data were analysed using content analysis. The results indicate that older adults perceived digital twins as a potential means to make homecare services more responsive to their needs, enhance their safety through monitoring and predictive functions, and to support staff continuity and scheduling. Homecare staff anticipated that digital twins could support more proactive and needs-based homecare, facilitate assessment and planning, and contribute to a better work environment with less stress. Both older adults and staff revealed a limited understanding of digital twins and expressed ethical and social concerns, and lacked a deeper understanding of the concept.
Språk

English

Konferens

GCPCC

GCPCC Seminarietyp

Orals

GCPCC Kod

PCC092

Föreläsare

Sandra Saade Rapportör