Researchers at Zuyd University of Applied Sciences Describe Findings in Medical Internet Research (Perceived Impact of an Online Community Care Platform for Dutch Older Adults on Local Participation, Informal Caregiving, and Feelings of …)

2020 DEC 16 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators publish new report on Internet and World Wide Web - Medical Internet Research. According to news originating from Heerlen, Netherlands, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “In a changing ageing society wherein older adults are increasingly expected to take care of themselves instead of relying on health care services, online community care platforms can help older adults to meet these expectations. A considerable number of these online community care platforms have been introduced in several European countries based on their potential.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, “However, their actual impact is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the self-reported use, expectations, and perceived impact of a Dutch online community care platform called Grubbenvorst-Online among Dutch older adults. The following 2 questions were studied: (1) What is the self-reported use of Grubbenvorst-Online among older adults? (2) What are their expectations and perceived impact of Grubbenvorst-Online regarding local participation, their social network, mutual informal caregiving, and feelings of connectedness? METHODS: An observational pretest-posttest study was conducted. Participants were recruited via a web-based message on the Grubbenvorst-Online platform and data were collected via postal questionnaires among older users at the start of the study and 4 months later. Data regarding the expectations and the perceived impact of Grubbenvorst-Online were compared and tested. Forty-seven Grubbenvorst-Online users with an average age of 74 years participated in this study. They were healthy, predominantly ‘internet-skilled,’ and they found the internet important for maintaining social contacts. In general, the use of the online community care platform decreased during the 4-month follow-up period. The perceived impact of Grubbenvorst-Online was significantly lower than that expected regarding information provision (p=.003), seeking help from fellow villagers (p <.001), giving help to fellow villagers (p <.001), and consulting care or welfare services (p <.001). The findings of this study indicate that online community care platforms perhaps do not provide enough ‘added value’ in their current form.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “We suggest a new direction in which online community care platforms primarily support existing offline initiatives aimed at stimulating local participation, informal caregiving, and feelings of connectedness.”

For more information on this research see: Perceived Impact of an Online Community Care Platform for Dutch Older Adults on Local Participation, Informal Caregiving, and Feelings of Connectedness: Pretest-Posttest Observational Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2020;22(12). Journal of Medical Internet Research can be contacted at: Journal of Medical Internet Research, Toronto General Hospital, R Fraser Elliott Bldg, 4TH FL, R 4S435, 190 Elizabeth St, Toronto, on M5G 2C4, Canada.

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from Erik van Rossum, Centre of Innovative Care and Technology (EIZT), Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, Heerlen, Netherlands. Additional authors for this research include Sarah Willard, Marieke Spreeuwenberg and Luc de Witte.

The publisher’s contact information for the Journal of Medical Internet Research is: Journal of Medical Internet Research, Toronto General Hospital, R Fraser Elliott Bldg, 4TH FL, R 4S435, 190 Elizabeth St, Toronto, on M5G 2C4, Canada.

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