IMPLEMENT
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A systems approach to implementing digital tools for earlier Alzheimer’s detection in Scottish primary care services
IRAS ID
346070
Contact name
Anja Maier
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Strathclyde
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
We are collaborating with a team of researchers and healthcare professionals across University College London and the University of Cambridge who are currently developing a new digital cognitive test for use in the NHS, funded by the UK National Institute for Health Research.
The digital cognitive test, known as the ‘Four Mountains Test’, is presented on a tablet or computer screen web browser that tests people’s ability to remember an image of a mountain scene. It takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. So far, the test has been used in university-based research studies. Results have shown that performance on this test might be a better indicator of early-stage thinking and memory problems due to Alzheimer’s disease than tests currently available in the NHS.
We now need to run ‘real-world’ usability studies with the Four Mountains Test – namely, in actual GP clinics – to find out if the academic results could translate across diverse UK populations and service settings. We anticipate that the final version of the test will be deployed in the NHS by 2029.
This study is the first Scottish usability study of the Four Mountains Test in a GP clinic near Glasgow. The clinic will partner with our research team at the University of Strathclyde, with funding and support by Alzheimer Scotland. We want to understand how patients, their families and carers, GP clinicians and GP administration staff experience using the test as part of routine service provision. We will recruit some of these individuals as participants and collect data through a series of interviews, workshops, focus groups and questionnaires.
The two-fold goals of the study are to i) use this understanding to improve the design of the test as part of ongoing development; and ii) help transition Scottish healthcare systems to earlier, more timely detection of dementia diseases.REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/EM/0280
Date of REC Opinion
13 Dec 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion