What is your project is about?

I am working with welfare technology, mainly technical systems used to support elderly people or people with chronic illness, to be more independent and to increase safety in everyday life. An example is fall detectors, which make elderly people feel safer at home as a fall detector will notify health personnel whenever they fall over and need help.

When it comes to the theoretical part, I am interested in information systems (IS). Also, I am looking into computer supported co-operative work (CSCW). So, I am investigating how the use of these systems is changing the way health care is delivered and how the nature of work is changing for health providers.

Why did you want to work with this specific topic?

My academic background is in health informatics and I also did a fellowship in thae Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA. I was already interested in health care and was specifically looking for a PhD which combined this with computer science. This was my main motivation, but another aspect was that I did not want a PhD where I would just sit in front of the computer, coding all day. I wanted to go out and understand how these technologies were actually used and do a qualitative PhD, meaning I could talk to people and do observations. Therefore, I find this project really interesting.

What would you say is the goal of your project?

I want to investigate the design, implementation and use of welfare technology and its impact on the users and their environment. My personal goal for this project is to really understand the nature of these systems in-depth. At this point, it is too early to be more specific, but I want to say something about the impact these systems have on society.

Do you have a target audience?

I think the papers I am publishing can be used by software engineers or the companies that are implementing these systems and are interested in finding out more about the systems and how they are actually used. Also, healthcare providers are a target group.

What is the most challenging part of your work?

My main challenge in the beginning was finding a domain, as I was a bit in between Information systems and CSCW, so it was important to set a focus. It was also a bit challenging gaining access to the field, negotiating and making a time plan. So, time management has been a bit of an issue.

Do you have any collaborators?

For my first case I am working together with Trondheim Municipality and a company in Trondheim, to implement a new system for distance monitoring. My second case is looking at psychiatric home treatment, which is really interesting. This is a collaboration with a hospital outside Berlin where I have done some fieldwork.