Evaluation of VitruCare™: improving lives through self-care technology
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Improving lives through innovation and supported self-care for people with long term conditions and towards the end-of life: evaluation of VitruCare™
IRAS ID
162203
Contact name
Paula Ormandy
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Salford
Research summary
The ageing population and increasing number of people with co-morbidities requires general practice and primary care organisations to work in partnership with patients to support self-management in order to improve the quality of care (Kings Fund 2011). Dynamic Health Systems (DHS) has designed and developed a web based digital health service platform called VitruCare™ (for use in general practice and primary care organizations) that presents patients' medical information in an actionable way, enabling a patient to take greater control, set goals and make decisions, promoting effective self-care whilst remaining connected to their clinician. While DHS has early outcome data showing positive health and productivity outcomes in patients using VitruCare there is limited longitudinal in-depth evaluation data.
The research follows two cohorts of patients, those managing a long term condition (LTC) and others at the end of life (EoL) and related health professionals to explore their perspectives of using the internet based program. The impact of the program on: patient health outcomes, symptoms and quality of life; the relationship between the patient and their clinician; staff satisfaction; contextual success factors for implementation and uptake across different primary care settings; and the exploration of potential cost benefit audit measures, is the focus of the study. A mixed methods approach, combines the strengths of both qualitative (focus groups) and quantitative (health outcome measure instruments, questionnaires and clinical audit data) to examine impact and provide a deeper understanding of the use of telehealth to influence self-management, healthy behaviour and care preferences.
REC name
East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/EE/1136
Date of REC Opinion
8 Dec 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion