Nursing home caregivers' acceptance of, and experiences with, a new digital intervention for oral healthcare: A qualitative feasibility study

Abstract

ObjectivesThe objectives of the present study were to qualitatively investigate nursing home caregivers' acceptance of, and experiences with, a new digital intervention for oral healthcare after a period of real‐life testing in three nursing homes located in Rogaland county, Norway.BackgroundNursing home caregivers report numerous barriers when it comes to provision of adequate oral care for care‐dependent older adults. Among the reported barriers are lack of knowledge and skills, care‐resistant behaviours, lack of adequate routines and documentation systems for oral health, a high workload, and unclear responsibilities. To overcome these barriers, a digital tool named SmartJournal was developed to assist caregivers in preserving nursing home residents' oral health.Materials and methodsSemistructured interviews were performed with selected caregivers (n = 12) taking part in SmartJournal testing. A theory‐driven thematic analysis based on technology acceptance model was conducted.ResultsSmartJournal was generally described as a userfriendly and useful tool. The initial reaction of the participants was mixed; some were positive, some had concerns, but many seemed to have a neutral stance to the intervention. Both barriers and facilitating factors for SmartJournal usage were revealed. Interestingly, the usage gradually changed from norm‐based to routine‐based behaviour during the test period. Although the tool was well‐accepted, as demonstrated with study participants' willingness to use it in the future, they had several suggestions for improvements to further adapt it to a nursing home setting.ConclusionResults from the present study provide valuable information on questions about SmartJournal acceptance and intervention delivery, thereby preparing the ground for a larger scale evaluation study assessing measurable effects of SmartJournal usage in nursing homes.