Insights into telehealth and care technologies (InTaCT)

An ageing population, pressure on resources and changing expectations are driving demand for innovative solutions to support independence at home for people living with long term conditions and disability. Digital health technologies have been posited as one potential solution to alleviate pressures placed on existing care services.

Insights into telehealth and care technologies (InTaCT) is a funded programme of research which builds understanding of end-users’ attitudes to technology in everyday life and explores how technology might most be appropriately designed to support personal health care.

Utilising a critical artefact methodology the study has focused particularly on exploring the needs of groups of individuals who are currently under-represented in this research arena. These groups include individuals from diverse ethnic communities and communities classed as being of high socio-economic need.

The research has identified a number of barriers to inclusion and the need for designers to understand the broader physical and cultural contexts where health technologies are used.