Reducing uncertainty: Care users’ experiences of waiting when receiving video visits from digital home care

Home care has been associated with time pressure and extensive waiting times, affecting care users’ ability to manage their daily activities. In 2023, one Swedish municipality started offering ‘video visits’ to complement home visits. However, little is known about the implications of this type of digital technology for care users’ waiting experiences. This article aims to understand how care users experience time in relation to home care and what implications video visits have for their experiences of time. This article is based on a qualitative interview study with 19 care users, aged 70 to 90+, who received video visits. Theoretical perspectives on uncertainty, temporal orders, and waiting have been used to analyse the empirical material. Results show how care users raised two concerns with the physical homecare: 1) care staff were seldom on time, and 2) there were too many new and different care staff. However, video visits were experienced to be punctual and offer staff continuity. Results show that video visits can reduce wait time in home care. However, it depends on how the digital technology is used, how the work is organized and performed, and how tasks are prioritized in relation to other tasks. The uncertainty that arises from waiting for home care negatively affects care users’ wellbeing, which is why it is important to find ways to make home care more predictable.