![Sample our Health and Social Care journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5938/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Health-Social-Care.jpg"})
Abstract
Purpose
To reduce the risk of dehydration in older adults, the French company Auxivia has developed a smart drinking glass (SDG) that can measure the amount of water drunk. The present study looked at the various work systems (WSs) designed for use of the SDG in a nursing home. The study’s objectives were to (i) determine the WSs’ impact on the staff’s ability to comply with the device’s prerequisites and ensure the device’s effective use and (ii) draw up guidelines on designing work systems.
Materials and methods
At three nursing homes in France, two independent observers performed 9 h of observations at each site and a total of 29 interviews.
Results
Decisions concerning implementation and the resulting WSs have an impact on the tasks to be performed, the tasks’ inherent constraints and the use of the SDG. It is essential to take account of the sociotechnical system as a whole before integrating a technology. Ideally, the introduction of an SDG will go unnoticed by staff and residents; however, our results emphasize the value of highlighting work constraints via a human factors analysis.
Conclusions
It is essential to take account of sociotechnical WSs as a whole when integrating a technology.
IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION
For caregivers, better measurement of the amount of water drunk by older adults might help to prevent dehydration.
For service providers, better knowledge of how work systems influence the nursing home staff’s ability to comply with the smart drinking glass’s prerequisites might improve the device implementation process.
For managers, a nursing home’s work systems should take account of the smart drinking glass’s prerequisites on one hand and the home’s environment and constraints on the other.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the staff at Auxivia for their collaboration and their interest in human factors issues. We also thank the nursing home staff and management for their welcome and their time.
Consent form
All patients, service users or participants in this research have given their written consent to the inclusion of material pertaining to themselves. These individuals acknowledge that they cannot be identified via the manuscript, and we have fully anonymized the published data.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 Some tasks nevertheless depend on the choice of tools, e.g. fixed vs. mobile tags.