Neuro Digital v.1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Neuro Digital: From Attitudes to Strategies
IRAS ID
310073
Contact name
Christopher Kipps
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 20 days
Research summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way neurological care is delivered to involve greater use of digital technology. Simultaneously, the recent NHS Long Term Plan has highlighted greater use of digital technology and data as a way to improve the delivery of care over the next 10 years. At a regional level, University Hospital Southampton (UHS) has seen the roll-out of its electronic personal health record and self-management platform called My Medical Record (MyMR). Data on the platform indicates variability in uptake and use amongst patients and healthcare professionals. More broadly, the academic research literature indicates there are still important issues to understand around the uptake and use of digital technology in neurological care and long-term conditions more generally.
The main aim of the research is to understand how to optimise and enhance the uptake and use of digital health technology in neurological conditions. The research will involve three interrelated work packages. Work Package 1 will use qualitative interviews or focus groups with neurological patients, carers, and healthcare professionals to investigate attitudes toward digital health technology and MyMR. Work Package 2 will use survey methods with neurological patients to investigate relationships between personal, sociodemographic, and clinical variables with digital health and MyMR use. Work Package 3 will use the findings from Work Package 1 and 2 to co-productively create with patient, carer, and healthcare professional groups ways (i.e. engagement strategies) to increase uptake, use, and perceived benefit of MyMR.
Patient and carer participants will be recruited through local and national neurological condition support groups and UHS neurology clinics. Healthcare professional participants will be recruited through UHS neurology clinics. The findings, and principles underlying findings, will have transferability to other long-term medical conditions and digital health technology outside of MyMR and UHS. The research is funded by a NIHR ARC Wessex grant.
REC name
London - Surrey Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/PR/0457
Date of REC Opinion
6 Jun 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion