  The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to support
long-term care is gaining attention, also in the light of population ageing.
Known in Scandinavian countries under the term of welfare technology, it aims
to increase the quality of life and independence of people with physical,
psychological or social impairments. In Germany, a new form of psychiatric home
treatment, inpatient equivalent treatment (IET), is offered since 2018. It
should allow service users with severe mental health issues to stay in their
familiar environment during crisis, while being treated in the same complexity
and flexibility like in an inpatient unit. However, this change in delivering
healthcare services leads to sociotechnical challenges, such as coordination of
work, integration into existing healthcare workflows and ensuring continuity of
care. Hence, the objective of this exploratory study is to examine how
information and communication technologies (ICT) interact in the new setting
and how this process can be improved. Further, we also ask how service users
can participate in designing home treatment services. Methodologically, this
study follows a qualitative research approach. Different methods including
participant observation, interviews and focus groups were conducted to answer
the research questions. Data was collected during a field visit at the
psychiatric department of a German clinic in summer 2019. Field notes and
interviews were analyzed using the R package for qualitative data analysis
RQDA. A list of socio-technical challenges and opportunities related to IET
were identified. New forms of communication, gaps in documentation practices
and continuity of care are seen to be highly relevant for designing and
implementing home treatment services in psychiatric care. We also discuss how
service users and health professionals can take pro-active part in designing
these services.
