Families' Degree of Satisfaction With Pediatric Telehomecare: Interventional Prospective Pilot Study in Catalonia

Francesc López Seguí; Astrid Batlle Boada; Juan José García García; Ana López Ulldemolins; Ane Achotegui Del Arco; Cristina Adroher Mas; Francesc García Cuyàs

doi:10.2196/17517

Families' Degree of Satisfaction With Pediatric Telehomecare: Interventional Prospective Pilot Study in Catalonia

JMIR Pediatr Parent. 2020 Mar 26;3(1):e17517. doi: 10.2196/17517.

Authors

Francesc López Seguí^{1

2}, Astrid Batlle Boada³, Juan José García García³, Ana López Ulldemolins³, Ane Achotegui Del Arco³, Cristina Adroher Mas³, Francesc García Cuyàs³

Affiliations

¹ TIC Salut Social, Ministry of Health, Barcelona, Spain.
² Centre for Research in Health and Economics, Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain.
³ Sant Joan de Déu Hospital, Catalan Ministry of Health, Barcelona, Spain.

PMID: 32213471
PMCID: PMC7146252
DOI: 10.2196/17517

Abstract

Background: Pediatric home hospitalization improves the quality of life of children and their families, involving them in their children's care, while favoring the work-life balance of the family. In this context, technology guarantees accessibility to assistance, which provides security to users. From the perspective of the health care system, this could lower the demand for hospital services and reduce hospitalization costs.

Objective: This study aimed to assess families' degree of satisfaction and acceptability of pediatric telehomecare and explore the clinical characteristics of children benefiting from the program.

Methods: A total of 95 children and their families participated in the home-hospitalization pilot program operated by Sant Joan de Déu Hospital in Barcelona, Spain. Families were visited once a day and patients were monitored using a kit consisting of a scale, a thermometer, a pulse oximeter, and a blood pressure monitor. Data on parental experience, satisfaction, safety, and preference for care was collected by means of a questionnaire. Data about the children's characteristics were collected from medical records. Descriptive and comparative statistics were used to analyze the data.

Results: A total of 65 survey respondents expressed very high levels of satisfaction. Families reported their experiences as being very positive, preferring home hospitalization in 94% (61/65) of cases, and gave high scores regarding the use of telemonitoring devices. The program did not record any readmissions after 72 hours and reported a very low number of adverse incidents. The user profile was very heterogeneous, highlighting a large number of respiratory patients and patients with infections that required endovenous antibiotic therapy.

Conclusions: Pediatric home hospitalization through telemonitoring is a feasible and desirable alternative to traditional hospitalization, both from the perspective of families and the hospital. The results of this analysis showed a very high degree of satisfaction with the care received and that the home-based telemonitoring system resulted in few adverse incidents.

Keywords: home health monitoring; pediatrics; remote sensing technology; satisfaction with care; telehealth; telehomecare; telemedicine; videoconferencing.

©Francesc López Seguí, Astrid Batlle Boada, Juan José García García, Ana López Ulldemolins, Ane Achotegui del Arco, Cristina Adroher Mas, Francesc García Cuyàs. Originally published in JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting (http://pediatrics.jmir.org), 26.03.2020.