Preferable Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Long-term Care Settings: A Vignette Survey of Japan

Abstract

The remarkable development of information and communication technologies (ICT), considering the rapidly aging global population, could eliminate the physical and mental burdens involved in caregiving and enhance the perceived dignity and autonomy of older adults. However, the introduction of ICT in long-term care (LTC) in Japan has not yielded good results yet, and the social acceptance of ICT remains understudied. This study aimed to understand and examine people’s views on ICT use in LTC settings. An online vignette survey was conducted in August 2020, among community-dwelling persons between the ages of 40–89 years, throughout Japan. A set of four vignettes of different physical and cognitive functional situations, at either a home or nursing home, with or without ICT use, was presented to select a preferred care setting. Multinomial regression analyses were used to examine the relationships between participants’ choices and individual characteristics. A total of 4,457 participants (52.8% of whom were women) were analyzed (mean age = 60.8 years). Participants were more likely to choose nursing homes in cognitively dependent situations. Participants who were women, relatively younger, and had higher education were more likely to choose care settings employing ICT for physically and cognitively dependent situations. Those who experienced either informal or formal caregiving were more likely to choose care settings that used ICT. This study revealed that individuals preferred different levels of ICT use based on physical and cognitive situations. Barriers to introducing ICT in LTC settings will be discussed.