AI in home healthcare needs to adapt to reality

Most research on AI in healthcare has so far been conducted in hospital settings, focusing on the technology’s function and efficiency. Sara Karnehed, a doctoral student in health and lifestyle at Halmstad University, instead turns her attention to nurses’ everyday work in home healthcare, where chronic wounds are among the most common care tasks

“It means a great deal to me that this research can contribute to the international discussion on how technological innovation can be combined with person‑centred and sustainable care”, says Sara Karnehed.

Recently, Sara Karnehed presented her work at an international conference, which attracted considerable interest. She emphasises that Sweden’s well‑developed home healthcare system can provide valuable insights for countries where care in the home is still being established. The international response also underlines how relevant these questions are regarding AI’s impact on relationships and everyday practices in healthcare.

Tacit knowledge that makes a difference

An important insight from the project, which forms part of Karnehed’s doctoral thesis, is that wound care in the home relies on tacit knowledge – experiences and practical skills that are not always visible in medical records or guidelines but are crucial for care to function.

“It can be about creating a sense of security for a patient who may have had a wound for several years and lost hope of healing. Listening to the nurses made it clear that their work often involves aspects that algorithms cannot capture, such as relationships, embodied knowledge and the ability to adapt on site”, says Sara Karnehed.

At the same time, the nurses saw potential in AI, for example in improving documentation and wound assessment. But they made it equally clear that technology must adapt to the realities of home healthcare – not the other way round.

The complexity of home healthcare

Providing care in people’s homes is more unpredictable than in hospitals. Patients’ daily lives, the conditions of their homes and the presence of relatives all affect the situation in ways that cannot be planned in advance. This means that technology must be flexible and support nurses’ work rather than control it.

“Caring for people in their own homes is complex and less predictable than in hospital settings. The study offers guidance on how technology can support care without disrupting or limiting the vital relational and practical work already taking place”, says Sara Karnehed.

Towards a more digitalised home healthcare

The project is a collaboration between researchers in the Health Innovation focus area at Halmstad University and Region Halland. By making nurses’ work visible, the researchers aim to help regions, municipalities and technology developers create useful and safe AI solutions for home healthcare.

The next step for Sara Karnehed is to complete her doctoral thesis, in which she examines how digitalisation is reshaping nurses’ work, working environment and professional role.

“The studies included in my thesis show how AI and other digital technologies can contribute to improved safety and traceability, but also to increased administrative demands, shifting professional boundaries and a move from relationship‑based to measurable care”, says Sara Karnehed.

Text: Anna-Frida Agardson

Photo: Magnus Karlsson

Mer information

Research programme IDC – Information Driven Care

Focus area Health Innovation

Postgraduate research school in Health Innovation (in Swedish)