Healthcare professionals’ perspectives on the key considerations for digital technology aiding the early detection of dementia-causing diseases: a qualitative approach
Authors: Wilson S , Tolley C , Mc Ardle R , Beswick E , Slight S 
Published: April 2024

Introduction

Digital health technologies (DHTs) can assist with the early detection of dementia-causing diseases.(1) Previous research has highlighted the benefits of involving health care professionals (HCPs) in their design and development.(2)

Aim

Explore HCPs’ perspectives on the key considerations when using DHTs for the early detection of dementia-causing diseases in healthcare settings.

Methods

HCPs in the National Health Service with a patient-facing role (independent of speciality or experience) were recruited using online clinical networks. Semi-structured interviews were conducted remotely (over Zoom) exploring their acceptance of DHTs and providing an early detection service, the optimal location for the service, and the challenges surrounding implementation. With the aid of NVivo, we applied an inductive framework approach using the ‘constant comparison’ to identify recurring themes in the data.

Results

Primary care (general practitioners [n=11]) and secondary care staff (mental health nurses [n=3], dementia specialist nurse [n=1], psychiatrist [n=1], community psychiatric nurse [n=1], care coordinator [n=1]) were interviewed. Three key themes were generated relating to healthcare service users, healthcare professionals, and DHTs (Table 1). HCPs stressed the importance of defining a target healthcare service user group to avoid wasting resources and avoiding contributing towards health inequities in terms of access to the service and post-detection care. Brain Health Centres, which use a combination of clinical and research methods for early detection, were favoured over traditional primary or secondary care settings, due to workload concerns. HCPs suggested training be provided to help interpret results and provide appropriate interventions post detection. Many HCPs were excited about the benefit of collecting longitudinal real-time data that could monitor patients over time but raised concerns around the accuracy of current digital tools.

Conclusion

Results highlighted important considerations for HCPs when developing and implementing DHTs to aid the early detection of dementia-causing diseases in clinical settings. Participants had an interest in older people’s health, dementia, mild cognitive impairment or digital health, which may have influenced their perspectives; however, our work shows DHTs should not contribute towards health inequities. Future work is needed to explore the perspectives of groups experiencing health inequities within the design, development and implementation of DHTs.

References

1. Frey AL, Karran M, Jimenez RC, Baxter J, Adeogun M, Bose N, Chan D, Crawford J, Dagum P, Everson R, Hinds C. Harnessing the potential of digital technologies for the early detection of neurodegenerative diseases (EDoN).

2. Slattery P, Saeri AK, Bragge P. Research co-design in health: a rapid overview of reviews. Health Res Policy Syst. 2020;18(1):17. Published 2020 Feb 11. doi:10.1186/s12961-020-0528-9