27^th World Nursing Education Conference

Biography

Biography: Freida Pemberton

Abstract

This case study explored the impact of bringing tailored health care to a village in West Africa using the Health Guardian for Longevity Program (HGFLP), an individualized tailored-fitted telehealth program that incorporates virtual, automation, and mobile technology (Pemberton, 2017). “The Health Guardian for Longevity Program takes in hand the assessed data, mobilizing the powerful tools of mobile, interactive, remote, video, and virtual technologies, as well as selected learning models, behavioral theories, and humor to treat patients as individuals” (Pemberton, 2017, a.1). In the village Wi-Fi was not an option, thus the delivery and operation of the program required technological modifications in automation and the reliance on assigned team leaders who lived within city limits, had transportation and access to Wi-Fi. The team leaders led groups of 25-38 people (100 participants) through the case study process. The researcher randomly selected the 100 participants in the study from a pool of 200, who were part of the on-site visit and health promotion program of 2014. The population spanned across the life cycle and was arranged in groups of School-Age, Adolescent-Age, Young Adult-Age, Middle Adult-Age and Older Adult-Age. This case study began in 2014 incorporating a new practice approach that differed from prior years with the implementation of the Health Guardian for Longevity Program.  The qualitative case study explored the impact of the participants’ online use of the Health Guardian for Longevity Program related to their health status and sustainability following a healthcare crisis. 

Data was collected from the 100 participants who used the program for 1.5 years, completed in 2016. The participants responded to the Health Guardian for Longevity Program Perception Questionnaire, a 10-item Likert-scale Instrument. The questionnaire was administered by team leaders and the data captured was analyzed by the primary investigator in 2016.  Data collected was analyzed using the QDA Miner Lite software program. Prior research on the benefits of tailored-centered patient care, the meaningful use of technology in healthcare, and telehealth practice guided this study.  The results of the analyzed data identified both effective and ineffective practices related to the use of the Health Guardian for Longevity Program. In response to three questionnaire items, it was identified that modifications were needed; 1. provide more intensive training for team leaders, 2. all narratives must be written in the language of the villagers, and 3. all health partners need to learn the native language. The findings from this research study provided specific strategies for sustainability of quality healthcare using telehealth practice, virtual, and mobile devices.  This case study now serves as a case-based teaching and problem-solving learning module for the educator’s students enrolled in nursing informatics, research, and growth and development courses. A quantitative research design study is in progress, focusing on the clinical data captured in this study.