As part of his postgraduate qualification, Richard Harding (previous member of the ENSAFE consortium) has written up a transfer report about how public policy could support self-care technology plans.

This document attempts to investigate the lived experience of the gap between Public Policy, Technology Enabled Care Services (telehealth, telecare, telemedicine, telecoaching and self-care in providing care for patients with long term conditions that is convenient, accessible and cost-effective) and self-care (any necessary human regulatory function which is under individual control, deliberate and self-initiated). Expressly the disparity between Public Policy, health care technologies accessed through services funded by the public purse and citizens who want to support themselves using health care technologies. The promotion of self-care through consumer eHealth (healthcare practices supported by electronic processes and communication) is often overlooked as a solution to austerity measures and the promotion of independence. Commissioned Technology Services have stifled commercially available products leading to a lack of choice.

The study uses a mixed methods approach within a phenomenological framework to examine preliminary results from our European Active and Assisted Living Project (ENSAFE). Participants were recruited in the UK through Charities and 400 surveys collected in total. A Delphi panel was recruited to the focus group which contained potential eHealth consumers. Where TECS and normally contained within a commissioned service, consumer eHealth is more based in the marketplace.

You can download the full report here.