Towards integrated care for the elderly : exploring the acceptability of telemonitoring for hypertension and type 2 diabetes management

Mihevc, Matic (author), Mori-Lukančič, Majda (author), Zavrnik, Črt (author), Virtič, Tina (author), Petek Šter, Marija (author), Klemenc-Ketiš, Zalika (author), Poplas-Susič, Tonka (author)

Introduction: Telemonitoring has been proposed as an effective method to support integrated care for older people with hypertension and type 2 diabetes. This paper examines acceptability of telemontioring, its role in supporting integrated care, and identifies scale-up barriers. Methods: A concurrent triangulation mixed-methods study, including in-depth interviews (n = 29) and quantitative acceptability tool (n = 55) was conducted among individuals who underwent a 12-month telemonitoring routine. The research was guided by the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability. Interviews were analysed using template content analysis (TCA). Results: TCA identified seven domains of acceptability, with twenty-one subthemes influencing it positively or negatively. In the quantitative survey, acceptability was high across all seven domains with an overall score of 4.4 out of 5. Urban regions showed higher acceptability than rural regions (4.5 vs. 4.3), with rural participants perceiving initial training and participation effort as significantly more burdensome than their urban counterparts. Discussion: Patients described several instances where telemonitoring supported self-management, education, treatment, and identification elements of the integrated care package. However, there were barriers that may limit its further scale-up. Conclusion: For further scale-up, it is important to screen patients for monitoring eligibility, adapt telemonitoring devices to elderly needs, combine telemonitoring with health education, involve family members, and establish follow-up programmes.

• Language: English
• Keywords: acceptability, mobile health, telemonitoring, aged, self-management, integrated care
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: 13 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 24, iss. 2, art. 16
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-182409
• UDC: 616.379
• ISSN on article: 1568-4156
• DOI: 10.5334/ijic.7621
• COBISS.SI-ID: 197576195
• Publication date in RUL: 11.05.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: International journal of integrated care
• Shortened title: Int. J. Integr. Care
• Publisher: Ubiquity Press
• ISSN: 1568-4156
• COBISS.SI-ID: 517928217

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: sprejemljivost, mobilno zdravje, spremljanje na daljavo, starostniki, samoobvladovanje bolezni, integrirana oskrba

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Funding programme: H2020
• Project number: 825432
• Name: SCale Up an integrated care package for diaBetes and hYpertension for vulnerable people in Cambodia, Slovenia and Belgium
• Acronym: SCUBY