Understanding the Views on the Utility of Wearable Devices
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding the Perspectives on the Utility of Wearable Technology among Community-Based Palliative Care Patients: An Exploratory Qualitative Study
IRAS ID
360543
Contact name
Wei Ming Tan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 2 days
Research summary
Annually, many people worldwide are anticipated to need palliative care, including people at the end of their lives. With the aging population, the need for palliative care will surge. The preferred place for end-of-life care and death is home, for both patients and family members. Looking into ways to enhance access to home-based palliative care will be one of the ways to ensure those preferences are fulfilled. Digital health technology may navigate some of the challenges via remote monitoring, virtual care, artificial intelligence, smart wearables and platforms. With the emerging technology making significant progress in healthcare in the recent years, there has been a change in the healthcare system worldwide across different fields including palliative care. Research has shown the potential of digital health technology in increasing efficiency of palliative care, improving symptom management, reducing hospital visits, improving patient-doctor communication and enhancing patients’ quality of life. Healthcare providers were generally supportive of the technological innovations due to the optimisation of time use and increased productivity for healthcare providers. However, little is known about the real-world needs and expectations of wearable devices in community-based palliative care population. This research aims to explore the perspectives of community-based palliative care patients on the use of wearable devices at home by conducting individual interviews. All interviews will be audio-recorded and transcribed for analysis for common themes. A total of 8-12 patients and carers will be recruited from those attending the Living Well Day Centre at the Sobell House Hospice or Katharine House Hospice. Understanding patients’ perspectives is essential to ensure that these tools are person-centred, ethical, and clinically useful. The study will hopefully be able to make recommendations to inform a patient-centred design of a wearable device in the future.
REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
25/IEC08/0040
Date of REC Opinion
28 Nov 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion