Effects of Mobile Video-Mediated Communication for Health Care Professionals in Advanced Home Care of Children

In this paper we explore the use of a mobile video-conferencing tool (MVCT) in advanced home care of children. We present the results from a qualitative study where we have evaluated mobile video communication between the patient´s home and the hospital unit. Our results show that mobile video enhances communication between home care teams and medical staff at the unit, makes more effective use of practitioners´ time and that the equipment have additional values for staff that extend beyond video communication. Challenges identified are related to technical problems, limitations in the MVCT´s design and the concern that the inability to handle problems may affect health care professionals´ role as an authority. The benefits of the MVCT rely to a great extent on individual users´ creativity and the willingness of key actors in the organization´s management to find ways of improving the present home care format.