Background

A large part of homecare providers' working time consists of time spent on travelling to and from citizens, and this project will investigate whether such travel time can be reduced or avoided by using video communication as a tool for homecare messaging to patients staying in own home.

In addition, video communication can give citizens a greater degree of flexibility since they are not forced to stay at home waiting for homecare calls. Moreover, the use of video communication may lessen the citizen's feeling of invasion when homecare providers do not have to physically enter the citizen's home.

Vision/Object

The project aims at examining the benefits and barriers of using video communication as a form of home health care, including providing an experience base for managing associated workflows.

Video communication will partially replace physical visits in selected actions and give the Municipality of Odense the opportunity to offer a service in the range of a physical visit and a telephone call.

The project is targeted at all citizens that are in need of assistance and instructions and who do not require the physical attendance of a home health care provider but merely guidance - for instance in terms of intake of medicines, food and beverages and complemented by motivation and support in relation to daily activities.

Expected Results

It is expected that citizens and employees at the end of the project will find that video communication is a fine alternative to a physical visit and in certain instances even preferable.

Problems concerning homecare providers' travel time, flexibility of the citizen, and the feeling of invasion of the home is a cross-border municipality issue, and it is thus possible to spread the experience achieved from this project to other parts of the country.