Ticket-to-talk: improving intra-family communication

A good home environment is important for recovering from depression, and patients need family caregivers that can cope with their words and actions. In this research, we developed a journal app to support family caregivers, and evaluated its effectiveness in a six-week home use study. Majority of studies on health care informatics focus on how to improve treatment and care of patients. However, studies on how to improve their domestic environment are almost non-existent. This research aims to improve the domestic environment through the actions of family caregivers. The domestic environment improves as family caregivers find appropriate ways to communicate with the patients. Better relationship will also relieve the symptoms of the depressed patients. Decline in suicide rates and increase in productivity is expected as a social ripple effect.

Please click the thumbnail image to open the full-size PDF file.