Due to the increase in the number of people in need of care, an above-average sick leave among employees in nursing occupations and a growing shortage of skilled professionals, the health care and nursing sector is facing particular chal-lenges. This paper presents a participatory model for the development of new technologies, which can in the long run reduce the impact of these challenges in certain areas of the care sector.
The project experiences in “DigiKomp-Ambulant” show how user-oriented approaches can be helpful in the development process of new supporting technologies. This approach can help to ensure that the developed products are highly accepted by the actual users, increase the attractivity of occupations in the care sector and diminish the daily challenges of the workers. The aim of the “DigiKomp-Ambulant” project is to develop a highly innovative sensory device, which can transmit important information to remote care takers. The mode of work in the project is characterized by a close interac-tion of scientists, software- and hardware developers and future users in the care sector. Next to the participatory model, the paper will also introduce the intermediary results of the project.