Effects of Caregiver Support in the Adoption of Assistive Technologies for Online Patient Health Self-management

Chronic condition(s) can best be controlled through health self-management, including medical, role, and emotional management. Although numerous technologies for health self-management are commercially available, there is little information on which of these have been successfully adopted and used in improving self-management. This paper investigates how to help make informed decisions through support from a caregiver (e.g., a family member, etc.) and how this can motivate patients to adopt and use such assistive technologies. Data were collected from surveys of two potential Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) patient groups: 198 online surveys and 83 in-person, using an identical question set. There were two subgroups: patients who had access to a caregiver and those who did not. These subgroups were combined into a group of 135 patients with caregivers and another group of 146 with no caregivers. Statistical findings from the two groups using identical questionnaires and structural equation model (SEM) analysis gave Goodness of Fit results of 0.708 and 0.656 for no caregiver and caregiver-supported groups, respectively. These are very good model fits, suggesting that both groups strongly favored technology adoption and use, thus enhancing the effectiveness of assistive technologies in patient perceptions. Understanding user intentions to use technology is vital to its success, through proper encouragement of both patient and caregiver engagement. The findings can be used in training and educating patients and well-versed caregivers in handling new emerging technologies (e.g., wearable health technologies). These findings are likely to be of significant interest to researchers, healthcare practitioners, managers, policymakers, and other stakeholders.