The Impact of Intelligent Medical Systems Combined with Interdisciplinary Care Teams in Home-Based Care Services for Disabled Elderly Individuals: A Prospective Intervention Study

Bin Hu,1 Wenhui Xu,1 Yongpan Huang2 1The School of Social Work, Changsha Social Work College, Hunan, 410004, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Medicine, Changsha Social Work College, Hunan, 410004, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yongpan Huang, School of Medicine, Changsha Social Work College, Changsha, Hunan, 410004, People’s Republic of China, Email yongpanhuangyxy@163.comBackground: This study examines the efficacy of intelligent medical systems (a technology-driven care model that integrates IoT, big data, and AI with multidisciplinary teams to provide seamless medical and elderly care services for homebound seniors, aiming to improve their health and quality of life) combined with interdisciplinary care teams in the service system for homebound elderly with disabilities in Yuhua District, Changsha, China.Methods: From May 2023 to December 2024, 100 homebound elderly individuals with disabilities under management were selected as the study subjects. The intelligent medical systems combined with interdisciplinary care teams provided them with enhanced home rehabilitation guidance (2.5h/month), nursing services (Quarterly 4-hour professional nurse relief), health risk guidance (5min/weekly), nutritional guidance (disease-specific diets and dysphagia management), and psychological support (Nostalgia toolkit (memory box with vintage items)). The management outcomes were determined using a prospective pre–post design with a comprehensive evaluation system including knowledge assessment, behavior compliance monitoring, risk event tracking, and satisfaction survey to measure intelligent elderly care service quality.Results: After the intervention, both caregivers and disabled elderly individuals demonstrated significantly improved mastery of health risk management (33% to 92%), psychological support (25% to 81%), and nutritional interventions (35% to 82%), as well as higher compliance to rehabilitation exercises (33% to 80%) compared to pre-intervention levels (all P< 0.05). Additionally, the incidence of pressure injuries decreased post-intervention (from 40% to 24%, P< 0.05). The satisfaction rate of elderly participants with the intelligent medical systems combined with interdisciplinary care teams’ services reached 95%.Conclusion: The integration of intelligent medical systems with interdisciplinary care teams bridges institutional-community-home care for homebound seniors, but wider implementation, longer follow-up, and systematic evaluation are needed to ensure sustainability.Keywords: intelligent medical systems combined with interdisciplinary care teams, elderly with disabilities, home nursing services, health management