This study does not focus on a specific disease or diagnosis. Instead, it examines care counselling as a service within the German health and social care system for people in need of care and their relatives. The focus is on counselling processes, organisational conditions and support needs, particularly in relation to digital and AI-supported applications.
Conditions
Interventions
Group 1: Participants are recruited from care counselling services (Pflegestützpunkte) in Germany.
The study follows a multi-phase exploratory design without group allocation:
Phase I (Qualitative ex
Sponsors
Hochschule Furtwangen
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: Target group Care advisors: • Employment in a care advisory organization or institution in Germany within the last five years • Active participation in advisory processes (e.g., initial consultation, care planning, coordination, follow-up) or in the organizational design of these processes • Minimum age of 18 years • Willingness to participate voluntarily and to provide informed consent Target group Experts: • Professional activity related to care consultation / care infrastructure • Responsibility for decision-making, management, or implementation Target group people seeking advice: • Use of care counseling services (e.g., at care support centers or similar advisory services) • Minimum age of 18 years • Capacity to give informed consent • Voluntary participation regardless of ongoing counseling or benefit decisions
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: Target group Care advisors: • Exclusively administrative or purely technical tasks without any connection to advisory or support processes • Insufficient German language skills to participate in interviews or group discussions • Relationships of dependency where voluntary participation does not appear to be guaranteed Target group Experts: • no operational or strategic proximity to the field of study Target group people seeking advice • Acute crisis situations or psychological stress where participation in the study could represent an additional burden • Impaired capacity to consent • Insufficient language skills that prevent informed consent or participation
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Primary endpoint: Identification and structured description of process-related challenges and support needs in care counselling, as well as derivation of requirements for digital and AI-supported applications. Timepoint of assessment: After completion of data collection and analysis across all study phases (expected end of study: 31.12.2027). Method of assessment: Data are collected through semi-structured interviews, workshops, focus groups and document analysis. Data are analysed using structured qualitative content analysis with iterative category development and triangulation across data sources. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Secondary endpoints: Exploration of user experiences and acceptance of digital and AI-supported applications in care counselling Identification of perceived effects, barriers and facilitators of digital tool use in practice Analysis of changes in roles, responsibilities and interaction patterns due to digital technologies Development and validation of use cases and a conceptual framework for digital support in care counselling Timepoint of assessment: During Phase II (exploratory field testing) and Phase III (data synthesis and validation) Method of assessment: Problem-centred interviews, focus groups, workshops, optional questionnaires and document analysis | — |
Countries
Germany
Contacts
Public ContactJohanna Sadel
Hochschule Furtwangen
Outcome results
None listed