科技始於人性－－淺談遠距醫療於老人健康照護之應用

Technology Connecting People: Applying Telecare in Elderly Health Care

因應高齡化社會來臨，應用資訊及通訊科技的遠距照護，已成為老人照護服務的趨勢；而在「科技始於人性」的理念下，如何應用資訊科技之創新，提供人性化的服務，將科技化服務融入老人的生活，進而協助其健康管理與健康促進，乃老人照護中推行遠距照護服務時需考量之議題。因老人其身體功能與心理需求有其特殊性，如果使用需求未被滿足，再好的設備環境與科技創新服務，都將無法發揮良好的使用效益。護理人員為提供醫療照護及協調資源的主要關鍵人物，因此，培育護理人員能因應遠距照護實務推行，使能發揮角色功能以提供人性化的照護，益形重要。本文以Watson關懷照護理論為例，說明資訊科技的研發需重視使用者需求，並期望本文可作為日後相關醫療專業人員，於提供遠距照護時，兼顧科技創新與人性化服務之參考依據。

As the proportion of elderly in society continues to rise, telecare, using advanced information and communication technologies, has become a mainstream trend in healthcare for this client group. Providing individualized services and assisting in health management and health promotion should be priority concerns in implementing telecare programs for the elderly. The physical and psychological needs of each elderly patient are unique. If these needs go unsatisfied despite a well-equipped environment and creative technological services, we will have failed to realize fully the potential benefits of the telecare medium. Educating case managers, who both deliver medical care and coordinate healthcare resources, is critical to telecare program success. This article, based on Watson's caring theory, illustrates the importance of considering account user needs in developing information technology tools. Such may provide a reference to medical personnel responsible for implementing telecare programs in the future.