Using a tablet application about nutrition in home care—Experiences and perspectives of healthcare professionals

Abstract

Undernutrition is an extensive problem among patients in community care services. The literature identifies several barriers that hinder health professionals in identifying nutritional problems and providing nutrition interventions. We developed Appetitus, a tablet application (app) focused on nutrition for older adults. Patients used the app, advised by healthcare professionals. In this study with qualitative design, we explored experiences and perspectives of healthcare professionals who used Appetitus when providing home care. We interviewed 24 healthcare professionals individually and in focus groups. We subjected the data to qualitative content analysis. Healthcare professionals used Appetitus as a mediator in dialogues with patients about nutrition. Giving the older adults an active role in nutrition assessment afforded opportunities to strengthen their involvement in care. Registrations of food and drink consumption gave the healthcare professionals insight into patients’ situations and revealed problems of which the healthcare professionals had not been aware. Based on their experience with Appetitus, healthcare professionals suggested using electronic tools to assess and document the nutritional situation of a larger patient group in home care. In future use of Appetitus, healthcare professionals’ levels of knowledge and confidence when advising patients about nutrition must be emphasised and addressed. Barriers such as time constraints and limited continuity of care are also areas that require attention when new nutrition practices are implemented.

Promoting dietary awareness: Home‐dwelling older adults’ perspectives on using a nutrition application

“…Healthcare professionals can play a vital role in supporting Appetitus users to interpret and understand the app's information output, and in suggesting dietary alterations and give professional nutritional support if the app points towards problematic situations, for example insufficient energy intake (Farsjø et al, 2019).…”

“…However, healthcare professionals acknowledge that limited nutrition knowledge, competing tasks and time restrictions are potential barriers to good nutrition practices, leading to insufficient follow-up for those in need of support (Farsjø et al, 2019;Bauer, Halfens, & Lohrmann, 2015;Chen & Allman-Farinelli, 2019;Mowe et al, 2008).…”

“…Healthcare professionals can play a vital role in supporting Appetitus users to interpret and understand the app's information output, and in suggesting dietary alterations and give professional nutritional support if the app points towards problematic situations, for example insufficient energy intake (Farsjø et al, 2019). However, healthcare professionals acknowledge that limited nutrition knowledge, competing tasks and time restrictions are potential barriers to good nutrition practices, leading to insufficient follow‐up for those in need of support (Farsjø et al, 2019; Bauer, Halfens, & Lohrmann, 2015; Chen & Allman‐Farinelli, 2019; Mowe et al., 2008).…”

“…In line with common practice in Norwegian home care, nurses and nurse aids were responsible for nutritional follow‐up, as certified dieticians is a limited resource in the municipalities. However, the healthcare professionals’ reported time constrains and personal insecurities in nutritional knowledge as barriers for follow‐up (Farsjø, Kluge & Moen, 2019).…”

Older Adults’ Engagement in Technology‐Mediated Self‐Monitoring of Diet: A Mixed‐Method Study

“…In the home care setting, the healthcare professionals gave the participants introductions to and follow-up support for the Appetitus app and iPad (Farsjø, Kluge, & Moen, 2019). We asked the professionals to meet with the participants three times to support their use of the app and the iPad.…”