My PhD Article Trail (as at December 2011)

Just over three years into my part-time PhD and I’m now clear of the twin hurdles of NHS ethics and research governance (hurrah!) and about to start recruiting. As some readers may be interested in the articles which I’ve published/submitted in the areas around my research since my study began, here’s an up-to-date list with links to the freely available ones included……..

***SUBMITTED (2011)***

A Patient-Centric Approach to using new technology for diabetes education in young adults
[Submitted to the Diabetes Educator in December 2011 with co-authors Dr Mike Masding, Associate Professor Jacqui Taylor and Professor Kate Galvin]

Munchausen by Internet (MBI): Current research and future directions
[Submitted to J Med Internet Res in November 2011 with second author Dr Jacqui Taylor]

Concussion Information on the Move: The Role of Mobile Technology in Concussion Management
[Submitted to Journal of Community Informatics in August 2011 with first author Osman H. Ahmed - Centre for Physiotherapy Research, School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand]

***PUBLISHED***
Integrating Web 2.0 with Mental Health Care
Published in Connect Newsletter (Mental Health Informatics Special Interest Group (MHSIG) of the Royal College of Psychiatrist), Autumn 2010 Issue. Page 17 – 19.
[November 2010]
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/pdf/ConnectAutumn2010.pdf

Mobile Technology as a mechanism for delivering improved Quality of Life
Published in The Journal of the Research Center for Educational Technology, Volume 6 Issue 1. Page 111-121.
[April 2010]
http://www.rcetj.org/index.php/rcetj/article/view/51

A patient centred framework for improving LTC Quality of Life through Web 2.0 Technology
Published in The Health Informatics Journal, Volume 16 Issue 1. Page 15-23.
[April 2010]
http://jhi.sagepub.com/content/16/1/15.short

Twitter as a tool for delivering improved Quality of Life for people with chronic conditions
Published in Journal of Nursing and Healthcare of Chronic Illness, Volume 1 Issue 3. Page 245-252.
[September 2009]
http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/10830/

BackCare Back Pain App

In partnership with Pfizer Life, BackCare have recently produced an App for iPhone, iPad and iPod which distils and delivers the wisdom of the best back health care practitioners alongside exercise videos and fact sheets.

View BackCare App Link

BackCare is the UK’s only charity solely aimed at reducing the impact of back pain on society.

View BackCare Website

Bayer Didget Reviewed by D-Mom

The DIDGET blood glucose meter from Bayer is the only meter that plugs into a Nintendo DS or Nintendo DS Lite gaming system to reward children for consistent testing.

View Online Demo

This has recently been reviewed by D-Mom (the D-Mom Blog is a website about parenting children with Type 1 diabetes). Bayer sent D-Mom a Didget Kit and an extra vial of test strips to try out but the Nintendo DS was their own…

D-Mom Tested: Bayer Didget Blood Glucose Meter Accessories (Part One)

D-Mom Tested: Bayer Didget Blood Glucose Meter & Test Strips (Part Two)

O2 Health Case Studies

Just come across O2 Health on the web – committed to supporting the NHS amidst growing demands on services, increased expectations and unsustainable increases in the cost of delivering care.

Their case study page gives some interesting uses of mobile technology within healthcare including a Home Delivery and Monitoring System (HDMS) for Haemophilia patients which improved quality of life and care for patients…..

O2 Healthcare Case Studies

Playaway and guided imagery

Guided imagery is a gentle but powerful technique that focuses and directs the imagination.

Health Journeys have recently introduced a new format for listening to guided imagery: a durable, preloaded audio player with high quality sound that works in any environment, called Playaway.

Health Journeys Playaway Website

Source : Kip Jones

Nutrition by Numbers and Livestrong

Have recently come across the Livestrong Calorie Tracker App for the iPhone via this months UK edition of Wired

Admittedly, the GUI isn’t perfect and it’s started to intermittently crash when used in the last couple of days but as a way of tracking your calorific input it’s been pretty good so far.

I think it has much to offer regarding wider health benefits and applications in QOL improvement and dietary management as it’s pretty easy to use.

Livestrong calorie Tracker

How to Live by the Numbers: Nutrition (Wired.Com)

Practicing Hernia Repairs On the Move with Ethicon PVP App

The Ethicon PVP app is a course about umbilical hernia repair using a partially absorbable mesh patch. It has been designed for end users (physicians) and sales representatives to provide them with the necessary information, including anatomy and procedural steps, they need to understand how the mesh product is used……

iTunes Preview

Source : Macuser Magazine (Vol 26 Issue 13, p12)

A patient centred framework for improving LTC quality of life through Web 2.0 technology

My article on “A patient centred framework for improving LTC quality of life through Web 2.0 technology” has now been published in the latest edition of the Health Informatics Journal (Volume 16 Issue 1: March 2010).

The Health Informatics Journal provides an international forum for the exchange of practice, innovation and research. Representing the interdisciplinary nature of health informatics, the journal publishes peer reviewed contributions from the fields of informatics and telematics, the health professions, computer science, engineering and management.

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PhD/Open Research Seminar – School of Health & Social Care

An investigation into factors which may lead to an improvement in the Quality of Life for people with a particular Long Term Condition through the use of Web 2.0 Technology

Demands for a greater degree of control and influence over personal health and healthcare (DoH 2008b. p.3) and governmental policy have resulted in the current NHS Operating Framework (DoH 2007, p.2) identifying the need for sustained focus on information management and technology in the NHS to deliver better, safer care.

In 2005, the NHS and Social Care Model – a blueprint to support organisations in improving local services for people with long-term conditions (LTC) – was published (DoH, p.9). For the delivery framework, it was noted that available options which health and social care communities could use to support people with LTC might include sets of technological tools (DoH 2008a, p.45). These could be technology that supported personalised care and choice, helped people remain independent and provided resources and support for patients to self-care and self manage.

Computer technology of the type termed Web 1.0 could be defined as the ability to connect computers and make information available, as opposed to Web 2.0, which connects people and facilitates new kinds of collaboration. Geographically displaced users can connect through social networks to others with the same chronic condition (Seeman 2008). Meanwhile, websites utilising Web 2.0 technology seek to improve the quality of users lives by offering support and information about treatment for and coping with chronic illnesses (Birnsteel 2008b, Fernandez 2008).

Current definitions concerning the integration of health information and support with Web 2.0 technology (Landro 2006, Shreeve 2008, Holt 2008, O’Grady 2008, Eysenbach 2008) are primarily concerned with approaches from a healthcare or medical perspective. They do not effectively consider how this might work from the viewpoint of the patient and also fail to consider how patients could already be using Web 2.0 technology or might want to adapt it in the future. There is a need to design a patient centered framework, encapsulating the use of Web 2.0 technology for people with LTC who might want to support, mitigate or improve their own quality of life. The primary research question and hypothesis are therefore:

Primary Research Question
Does Web 2.0 technology foster, hinder or have no impact on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in people with a particular (to be specified) LTC?

Slides Available on Request

Mobile Technology as a mechanism for delivering improved Quality of Life

My article on “Mobile Technology as a mechanism for delivering improved Quality of Life” has now been published in the latest edition of the The Journal of the Research Center for Educational Technology (Volume 6 Issue 1: 2010).

The Journal of the Research Center for Educational Technology (ISSN 1948-075X) provides a multimedia forum for the advancement of scholarly work on the effects of technology on teaching and learning. The latest issue contains a number of papers that were presented in the Research Strand of the Handheld Learning 2009 Conference (Oct. 5-7, 2009; London, UK).

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