TY - JOUR
T1 - Smart personalized continence care for people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities
T2 - A theory with practice-based implementation guideline for a digital innovation
AU - van Cooten, Vivette
AU - Boon, Brigitte
AU - Gielissen, Marieke
AU - Bongers, Inge
AU - Van Mastrigt, Ghislaine
AU - Smeets, Odile
N1 - Projectcode: 4200P181
PY - 2025/3
Y1 - 2025/3
N2 - Introducing smart technologies can personalize and improve continence care for people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities within residential care facilities. Currently, continence care is provided according to fixed schedules. This can lead to oversaturated incontinence materials, leading to leakages and an increased chance of incontinence-associated dermatitis or unnecessary changes. Both result in an unneeded burden for individuals with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities and their caregivers. Smart technologies that notify caregivers when incontinence materials need to be changed can improve the quality of life for individuals experiencing incontinence and lead to a more efficient care process for their caregivers. Yet, implementation is challenging. We present a Guideline for Smart Continence Care (SCC) Implementation in Residential Disability Care. The guideline is systematically and iteratively developed by combining implementation literature and daily practice. Lessons learned from applying a draft version at six residential care facilities are integrated. Eight steps are identified and detailed to guide the SCC implementation process: (1) analyze and determine goals for each target group, (2) analyze the innovation, (3) analyze the context, (4) arrange preconditions, (5) formulate implementation strategy, (6) carry out and monitor the implementation, (7) evaluate and adapt implementation strategy, and (8) continued use and upscaling. The guideline is illustrated by examples from actual SCC implementation practice. This guideline is not only useful for those who lead the implementation of SCC in residential care, but may offer guidance for other care technology implementations in various care settings as well.
AB - Introducing smart technologies can personalize and improve continence care for people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities within residential care facilities. Currently, continence care is provided according to fixed schedules. This can lead to oversaturated incontinence materials, leading to leakages and an increased chance of incontinence-associated dermatitis or unnecessary changes. Both result in an unneeded burden for individuals with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities and their caregivers. Smart technologies that notify caregivers when incontinence materials need to be changed can improve the quality of life for individuals experiencing incontinence and lead to a more efficient care process for their caregivers. Yet, implementation is challenging. We present a Guideline for Smart Continence Care (SCC) Implementation in Residential Disability Care. The guideline is systematically and iteratively developed by combining implementation literature and daily practice. Lessons learned from applying a draft version at six residential care facilities are integrated. Eight steps are identified and detailed to guide the SCC implementation process: (1) analyze and determine goals for each target group, (2) analyze the innovation, (3) analyze the context, (4) arrange preconditions, (5) formulate implementation strategy, (6) carry out and monitor the implementation, (7) evaluate and adapt implementation strategy, and (8) continued use and upscaling. The guideline is illustrated by examples from actual SCC implementation practice. This guideline is not only useful for those who lead the implementation of SCC in residential care, but may offer guidance for other care technology implementations in various care settings as well.
KW - implementation guideline
KW - Intellectual disability
KW - practice
KW - residential care
KW - smart continence care
KW - technology
U2 - 10.1111/jppi.70007
DO - 10.1111/jppi.70007
M3 - Article
SN - 1741-1122
VL - 22
JO - Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities
JF - Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities
IS - 1
M1 - e70007
ER -