Optimising Outpatients
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Optimising Outpatients: Effective service transformation through face-to-face, remote and digital care delivery
IRAS ID
324994
Contact name
Christopher Kipps
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
The number of people living with a neurological condition is increasing, placing ever greater demand on existing services. The NHS Long Term Plan outlines a need for new service models to optimise care. Remote and digital health technologies can provide cost effective, implementable opportunities to transform outpatient services in neurology and for other long-term conditions. Yet little is known about the most effective ways to combine the standard face-to-face appointment with remote and digital technologies to provide effective, efficient, high quality outpatient care.
This project seeks to:
• Conduct an interpretive synthesis of existing datasets in order to co-productively develop evidence-based recommendations on the use of face-to-face, digital and remote healthcare in neurology outpatient services from existing datasets (the OPTIMISE recommendations);
• Assess the feasibility and acceptability of implementing these recommendations;
• Evaluate the applicability of these recommendations to long-term conditions more generally.
The study will involve an interpretive synthesis of existing data from the Neuro Digital Outpatients Perspective Study (IRAS 287057), survey data collected by the Association of British Neurologists (annual surveys 2019-2021) and survey data from the Neurological Alliance (2021) to produce findings. These will then be developed into a set of recommendations in collaboration with key stakeholders (neurology patients, carers, HCPs and service provider representatives). We will assess the feasibility and acceptability of these recommendations through interviews and focus groups with stakeholders. We will evaluate the applicability of these recommendations to other long-term conditions through focus groups.
The study will last 18 months and be based at University Hospital Southampton. Through the creation and assessment of evidence-based recommendations on the use of face-to-face, remote and digital technology, this research study will produce findings to help optimise outpatient care for the future.REC name
East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/EE/0155
Date of REC Opinion
31 Jul 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion