The Role of Telemedicine Centers and Digital Health Applications in Home Care: Challenges and Opportunities for Family Caregivers

Sep 30, 2026

Home care is central to contemporary healthcare for people with chronic and progressive conditions, yet family caregivers face heavy physical, emotional, and organizational burden. Telemedicine and digital health applications may support home care by strengthening health monitoring, communication, and care coordination, but caregiver adoption and the impact of organizational support remain insufficiently understood. This mixed-methods study evaluates telemedicine’s benefits, examining how telemedicine centers enable acceptance and everyday use, combining an online survey of 58 caregivers with an in-depth case study and a systematic literature review.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Caregiver burden and resource-oriented perspectives

Telemedicine and digital health applications in home care

Article The Role of Telemedicine Centers and Digital Health Applications in Home Care: Challenges and Opportunities for Family Caregivers Kevin-Justin Schwedler 1,2,*, Jan Ehlers 2, Thomas Ostermann 2 and Gregor Hohenberg 1 Academic Editor: Ryuji Furihata Received: 28 November 2025 Revised: 24 December 2025 Accepted: 1 January 2026 Published: 5 January 2026 Copyright: © 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. 1 Stabsstelle für Digitalisierung und Wissensmanagement, Hochschule Hamm-Lippstadt, 59063 Hamm, Germany; [gregor.hohenberg@hshl.de](gregor.hohenberg@hshl.de) 2 Fakultät für Gesundheit, Universität Witten-Herdecke, 58455 Witten, Germany; [jan.ehlers@uni-wh.de](jan.ehlers@uni-wh.de) (J.E.); [thomas.ostermann@uni-wh.de](thomas.ostermann@uni-wh.de) (T.O.) * Correspondence: [kevin.schwedler.97@web.de](kevin.schwedler.97@web.de) Abstract Background/Objectives: Home care plays a crucial role in contemporary healthcare systems, particularly in the long-term care of people with chronic and progressive illnesses. Family caregivers often experience substantial physical, emotional, and organizational burden. Telemedicine and digital health applications have the potential to support home care by improving health monitoring, communication, and care coordination. However, their use among family caregivers remains inconsistent, and little is known about how organizational support structures such as telemedicine centers influence acceptance and everyday use. This study aims to examine the benefits of telemedicine in home care and to evaluate the role of telemedicine centers as supportive infrastructures for family caregivers. Methods: A mixed-methods design was applied. Quantitative data were collected through an online survey of 58 family caregivers to assess the use of telemedicine and digital health applications, perceived benefits, barriers, and support needs. This was complemented by an in-depth qualitative case study exploring everyday caregiving experiences with telemedicine technologies and telemedicine center support. A systematic literature review informed the theoretical framework and the development of the empirical instruments. Results: Most respondents reported not using telemedicine or digital health applications in home care. Among users, telemedicine was associated with perceived improvements in quality of care, particularly through enhanced health monitoring, improved communication with healthcare professionals, and increased feelings of safety and control. Key barriers to adoption included technical complexity, data protection concerns, and limited digital literacy. Both quantitative findings and the qualitative case study highlighted the importance of structured support. Telemedicine centers were perceived as highly beneficial, providing technical assistance, training, coordination, and ongoing guidance that facilitated technology acceptance and sustained use. Conclusions: Telemedicine and digital health applications can meaningfully support home care and reduce caregiver burden when they are embedded in supportive socio-technical structures. Telemedicine centers can function as central points of contact that enhance usability, trust, and continuity of care. The findings suggest that successful implementation of telemedicine in home care requires not only technological solutions but also accessible organizational support and targeted training for family caregivers. Keywords: telemedicine; family care; digital health applications; health monitoring; home care 1. Introduction Home care plays a crucial role in contemporary healthcare systems, particularly in the long-term care of people with chronic and progressive illnesses. Family caregivers assume extensive responsibilities that are frequently associated with substantial physical, emotio

FAQs

What problem does the study address in home care settings?

The study addresses how family caregivers experience substantial physical, emotional, and organizational burden during long-term home care for chronic and progressive illnesses.

How was telemedicine and digital health use assessed?

Telemedicine and digital health applications were assessed with a mixed-methods design: an online survey of 58 family caregivers plus an in-depth qualitative case study and support from a systematic literature review.

What barriers and enabling supports were identified for adoption?

Key barriers included technical complexity, data protection concerns, and limited digital literacy, while telemedicine centers were viewed as highly beneficial by providing technical assistance, training, coordination, and ongoing guidance.

Sep 30, 2026

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