Information and communication technology in supporting people with serious chronic illness living at home – an intervention study

Abstract

We studied the experiences of two people with serious chronic illness who used information and communication technology (ICT) to communicate with their district nurse. The study was a qualitative case study. The intervention was performed using an electronic messaging program. The program was accessible to any computer with an Internet connection. The programme consisted of different virtual rooms, where people could communicate using text messages. The participants used the program 2–4 times each week from the beginning of November 2003 to February 2004. Semistructured interviews were performed before, during and after the intervention and were analysed using thematic content analysis. The results showed that the participants' communication with the district nurse was improved because of easy accessibility and that they felt increased security. They also felt there were fewer limitations and that their everyday life was improved, which can also be seen as an improvement in care.