technology
Humanising machines
Digital transformation in
aged care is about people,
not technology.
By Katja Forbes
T
here is no getting away from the
fact that almost every facet of
our lives is being transformed all
the time, and this can be a challenging
experience in almost every industry.
Aged care is a particularly interesting
area to consider because many who
are affected may be resistant to change
and/or reluctant to adapt to it because they
have different knowledge bases and life
experiences to other demographics.
Digital transformation changes our
lives in so many ways (with the intention
of making our lives better), and one
such industry is healthcare. Emerging
technology and digital solutions can now
achieve a lot more in terms of medical
care, which certainly benefits all of us. For
example, heart surgery used to involve
the whole chest being opened, whereas
for a few years now keyhole surgery has
been used instead. More recently, specialist
surgeons can instruct other surgeons, who
may be in remote locations, over real-time
computerised video about performing
particular surgery.
32 agedcareinsite.com.au
Digital solutions are ideal for almost all
areas of healthcare because human error is
eliminated. The results are always accurate
and fast, and solutions can be guaranteed.
This never used to be the case. Millennials
would probably not have a problem
with providing personal information to a
computer or even expressing their medical
concerns to a computer whose purpose
was to help them. No such research has
been conducted, but this can be assumed
given they grew up in a digital world.
In this case, you can see the need for
humans decreasing as computers can take
over more and more of the heavy lifting,
as it were.
However, at the other end of the
spectrum, people of advanced age may
be absolutely horrified at the prospect of
connecting with a computer in such a way.
The least they would expect is the courtesy
of a human expressing concern about their
medical situation. Extending the stereotype
of this age group to its extreme, they would
likely feel deeply uncomfortable and even
disrespected if they were faced with a
computer offering to serve them. They also
might not be able to figure out how to use
it anyway, even if they wanted to.
So, what is the solution? Clearly, aged
care is not a sector that can be left behind
while the rest of the world moves forward.
Aged care is big business and business
owners will want to stay competitive.
Having said that, however, you cannot
alienate your own clientele.
While it may feel like it at the start,
the reality of digital transformation is
that every time something transforms, it
isn’t just to make your life more difficult.
All the time, humans everywhere are
making alterations to make our lives easier
and better.
The whole purpose for building
technology in the first place is all about
the human experience. In fact, technology
is just one aspect, usually the largest, of
what designers and engineers work with
when they create these solutions. With
this in mind, if you own an aged care
facility and have introduced some form of
digital transformation, would you consider
something like a robotic GP who will
consult with the guests in your aged care
facility? Such an intention does not yet exist
of course; however, imagine it was created
and established in your business to ensure
accuracy with diagnosis and to save money
(for example, by way of a salary). While
this digital solution might provide a great
number of advantages to your aged care
business, your residents and guests will
probably be appalled.
The one thing that’s missing is the
human touch. And that is likely to be the
most important.
The thing to realise is that your residents
have come to value the human contact
they receive at your facility. Therefore, a
GP should be one of the very last areas
to succumb to transformation. After
all, the human experience behind the
appropriate concept is key to appreciating
our global and individual need for digital
transformation.
We transform not because we happened
to create better technology, but because
a need was identified to provide a greater
and more efficient service to our clients.
The needs and requirements of seniors
differ greatly to that of millennials, and
this is taken into consideration when
transformation is researched, designed
and created.
Digital transformation is for all of us,
not just the youth who want things that
are faster and flashier. It involves all of us,
belongs to us and empowers us. It gives us
a voice and communicates with us.
I hope we can now realise that digital
transformation is all about people, and in
fact nothing at all about technology, which
is just the vehicle to get us to where we
want to be.
In aged care, there may need to be other
considerations where digital technology
is used. Rather than client-facing, it may
be better introduced to administration
procedures instead. ■
Katja Forbes is managing director Aus/NZ
at Designit and international director on
the Interaction Design Association Board.