Getting the most from working with higher education: a review of methods used within a participatory design activity involving KS3 special school pupils and undergraduate and post-graduate industrial design students

This paper provides education-based researchers and practitioners with the preferred research and design methods used by Higher Education Institute (HEI) students and Key Stage 3 (KS3) pupils applied within a participatory approach to a design activity. The outcomes were that both pupils and students found informal (unstructured) interview to be effective in creating dialogue alongside meeting in person. Students commented on the friendly environment created by staff within which the pupils felt safe to express themselves. They found the co-design activity in some cases difficult due to communication issues. Recommendations are that the HEI students would benefit from a thorough literature review of the medical conditions associated with the pupils and their school activities; an initial informal meeting or group activity involving students and pupils would reduce shyness and perform an icebreaking role prior to the initial interview; the use of drawing templates or low resolution sketch models for pupils to draw on or handle and modify to help define a product specification; and, role playing alongside other visual prompts that enable the pupils to visualise the function of the student-proposed designs. Pupils benefited through seeing professional techniques of visual communication and design practices being applied during the collaboration

Feasibility, acceptability, and clinical effectiveness of a technology-enabled cardiac rehabilitation platform (Physical Activity Toward Health-I): randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is highly effective as secondary prevention for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Uptake of CR remains suboptimal (30% of eligible patients), and long-term adherence to a physically active lifestyle is even lower. Innovative strategies are needed to counteract this phenomenon. OBJECTIVE: The Physical Activity Toward Health (PATHway) system was developed to provide a comprehensive, remotely monitored, home-based CR program for CVD patients. The PATHway-I study aimed to investigate its feasibility and clinical efficacy during phase III CR. METHODS: Participants were randomized on a 1:1 basis to the PATHway (PW) intervention group or usual care (UC) control group in a single-blind, multicenter, randomized controlled pilot trial. Outcomes were assessed at completion of phase II CR and 6-month follow-up. The primary outcome was physical activity (PA; Actigraph GT9X link). Secondary outcomes included measures of physical fitness, modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, endothelial function, intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery, and quality of life. System usability and patients' experiences were evaluated only in PW. A mixed-model analysis of variance with Bonferroni adjustment was used to analyze between-group effects over time. Missing values were handled by means of an intention-to-treat analysis. Statistical significance was set at a 2-sided alpha level of .05. Data are reported as mean (SD). RESULTS: A convenience sample of 120 CVD patients (mean 61.4 years, SD 13.5 years; 22 women) was included. The PATHway system was deployed in the homes of 60 participants. System use decreased over time and system usability was average with a score of 65.7 (SD 19.7; range 5-100). Moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA increased in PW (PW: 127 [SD 58] min to 141 [SD 69] min, UC: 146 [SD 66] min to 143 [SD 71] min; Pinteraction=.04; effect size of 0.42), while diastolic blood pressure (PW: 79 [SD 11] mmHg to 79 [SD 10] mmHg, UC: 78 [SD 9] mmHg to 83 [SD 10] mmHg; Pinteraction=.004; effect size of -0.49) and cardiovascular risk score (PW: 15.9% [SD 10.4%] to 15.5% [SD 10.5%], UC: 14.5 [SD 9.7%] to 15.7% [SD 10.9%]; Pinteraction=.004; effect size of -0.36) remained constant, but deteriorated in UC. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study demonstrated the feasibility and acceptability of a technology-enabled, remotely monitored, home-based CR program. Although clinical effectiveness was demonstrated, several challenges were identified that could influence the adoption of PATHway. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02717806; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02717806. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016781

A qualitative exploration of cardiovascular disease patients’ views and experiences with an eHealth cardiac rehabilitation intervention: The PATHway project

The aim of this study is to explore participants’ views and experiences of an eHealth phase 3 cardiac rehabilitation (CR) intervention: Physical Activity Towards Health (PATHway). Sixty participants took part in the PATHway intervention. Debriefs were conducted after the six-month intervention. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analysed with Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. Forty-four (71%) debriefs were conducted (n = 34 male, mean (SD) age 61 (10) years). Five key themes were identified: (1) Feedback on the components of the PATHway system, (2) Motivation, (3) Barriers to using PATHway, (4) Enablers to using PATHway, and (5) Post programme reflection. There were a number of subthemes within each theme, for example motivation explores participants motivation to take part in PATHway and participants motivation to sustain engagement with PATHway throughout the intervention period. Participant engagement with the components of the PATHway system was variable. Future research should focus on optimising participant familiarisation with eHealth systems and employ an iterative approach to development and evaluation