Future health technology needs to take into account children and young people’s preferences, say researchers

Health technology should be easy to use, have the ability to be personalised, allow the user to choose how their information is shared and where possible, have in-built games and incentives according to children and young people. 

That’s the findings of a recent scoping review into the preferences of those aged up to and including 18 years when using health technology to manage their long-term conditions (LTCs) including diabetes, cystic fibrosis, anxiety, depression, and asthma. 

The review was undertaken by researchers from the University of Leicester, alongside Sheffield Hallam University, the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York, and the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) HealthTech Research Centre in Paediatrics and Child Health.  The findings have now been published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood.

Lead researcher, Dr Jackie Martin-Kerry, a Research Fellow from the University of Leicester’s School of Healthcare, said: “The review clearly shows how important it is to acknowledge that children and young people have their own expert opinions about health technology and should be involved in its development to ensure its success and continued uptake, rather than only asking parents or clinicians.”

Researchers analysed data from 161 journal articles undertaken in mostly high-income countries, describing the preferences of children and young people. 

To ensure the findings were meaningful and contextually appropriate, a Patient and Public advisory group of young people with LTCs from across England was put together to guide the study and lead the development of recommendations for future health technology development/research. 

The study found that children and young people have four main preferences and needs:

• Design and functionality – easy to use applications and clear content with the use of bright colours and age- and developmentally-appropriate imagery and multi-media content. 

• A balance between privacy and sharing when using technology. For instance, the ability to connect with others with similar conditions or experiences through chat rooms and immediacy of communication with healthcare professionals and assessment via messaging or video to facilitate timely and targeted intervention. 

• Interaction within the technology to communicate, avoiding embarrassment and maintaining independence. They also expected security functions in healthcare technologies and appreciated autonomy and control over their information.

• The ability to customise and personalise technologies using emojis and design avatar characters, as well as being able to set motivational goals and personalised reminders to incentivise them to progress and achieve. 

Dr Martin-Kerry said: “This review highlights important preferences and needs that children and young people have around their health technology in relation to LTCs. Future research should involve children and young people who are living with the respective conditions throughout development of the technologies, from identifying their unmet needs through to final design, evaluation and implementation, to address the identified needs and preferences.”

Veronica Swallow is Professor of Child and Family Nursing and Healthcare at Sheffield Hallam University and was also a researcher on the study. She added: “Healthcare professionals are increasingly incorporating technology into patient care, using telehealth, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, devices and smartphone applications. Despite this, little was known about the preferences of children and young people using it and that’s why this review is vital if we’re to ensure long-term engagement with health technologies.”

The research was funded by the Collaboration Fund from the White Rose University Consortium.