Future bathroom: A study of user-centred design principles affecting usability, safety and satisfaction in bathrooms for people living with disabilities

Research and development work relating to assistive technology 2010-11 (Department of Health) Presented to Parliament pursuant to Section 22 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 197

Bridging the West Midlands’ Digital Skills Gap:A Roadmap Towards a Digital Skills Innovation District

Amid an escalating skills shortage that threatens the long-term socioeconomic prosperity of the UK, the West Midlands both epitomises the national challenge and, at the same time, offers myriad opportunities to enact lasting change. When it comes to skills, the regional characteristics are stark. The West Midlands is behind the UK average in qualification levels, with pupils typically averaging lower numbers of substantial Level 3 qualifications than the rest of England. The region is predicted to demonstrate the slowest rate of reduction in those with ‘no qualification’ status between 2017-2027, while the NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) rate continues to grow. The West Midlands is significantly behind the rest of the country in A-Level attainment, a statistic exacerbated by the underrepresentation of disadvantaged learners in higher-level apprenticeships. Those who do attain a higher education qualification in the West Midlands are less likely to stay in the region upon graduation than elsewhere in the UK.Of particular and growing importance are digital skills. Not only does the region’s tech sector have the potential to add £2.7bn in regional economic growth and 52,000 jobs over the next four years, digital skills are becoming increasingly critical to all sectors, from Business, Professional and Financial Services to health, advanced manufacturing to energy. And yet employers across the region today are reporting serious challenges in securing the levels of talent needed to ensure they remain at the cutting edge of technological delivery. It’s clear that business-as-usual will not be enough to resolve the region’s skills challenges. This project is the first step in tackling these mounting issues. While the challenges are clear, so too is the shared appetite across the region’s universities, private and public sectors to invest in new ways of turning the West Midlands’ skills outlook around. This report details the outputs of research carried out by the University of Birmingham to capture insights from cross-sectoral representatives in the West Midlands. We outline how regions across the UK and father afield are maximising collaborative R&D power to tackle regional challenges, and examine how the West Midlands can best tap into its established ecosystem of leading businesses, universities, further education providers, and civic bodies to realise a step change in how we solve the region’s skills problem. Our ultimate recommendation is to establish a dedicated Digital Skills Innovation District in Birmingham: an ambitious, long-term skills project that is developed by the region for the region. The district would be a thriving hub for industry, higher and further education, and civic organisations to develop and deliver new educational interventions which target the region’s most pressing skills challenges. It would seek to inspire learners young and old to explore new educational and professional pathways, and constantly learn from all regional stakeholders in order to grow and evolve over time. The innovation district would be sector agnostic, recognising the importance of digital skills to all employers, while at the same time mapping onto key regional sectors wherever possible to ensure continued contribution to economic stability and growth. And the district would also demonstrate the shared commitment and ambition across our organisational ecosystem to achieve the aims of devolution and the Levelling Up agenda, presenting a united front in tackling the regional skills challenges that would attract investment to achieve meaningful long-term success. This report details the steps needed to make this ambition a reality

DHI 10 Year Strategy 2024 – 2033 : Transforming great ideas into real solutions

As Scotland's innovation centre for digital heath and care, DHI is a catalyst for change and a conduit for NHS reform, health and social care transformation. DHI occupies a unique and visible position at the heart of the innovation ecosystem for digital health and care in Scotland. It sits at the nexus of commercial, academic, health and social care sectors, combining extensive skills and experience to accelerate research and the adoption of innovation (R&I). DHI's impressive track record of delivery provides a strong foundation for the ambitions set out in this 10-year strategy

Health and Sport Committee: Technology and Innovation in Health and Social Care

No abstract availabl

Exploring eHealth implementation: understanding factors affecting engagement and enrolment in consumer digital health

Introduction At the dawn of the 21st century, ageing populations combined with rising numbers of people with chronic conditions are placing burdens on patients, carers, professionals, and health systems worldwide. Digital health interventions (DHIs) such as mobile, online, wearable and sensor technologies are being used to promote healthy lifestyles and encourage self-management of disease in an effort to address some of these global health challenges. However, these kinds of electronic tools can be difficult to implement. Engaging patients, the public and health professionals in digital health and getting them signed up to these technologies can be challenging in real-world settings. Aim The primary aim of this thesis is to examine the barriers and facilitators affecting engagement and enrolment in consumer digital health interventions. It examines these complex processes from the perspective of three key stakeholder groups: 1) patients and the public; 2) health professionals; and 3) those implementing the technologies. The secondary aim is to identify the strategies used to engage and enrol individuals in consumer DHIs. Methods An exploratory, multi-method qualitative study design was adopted. This included a qualitative systematic review and collection and analysis of primary and secondary qualitative data, gathered as part of a large (£37 million) digital health innovation programme called Delivering Assisted Living Lifestyles at Scale (dallas). The dallas programme deployed a wide range of digital health products and services in the United Kingdom ranging from telehealth and telecare systems through to mobile health applications, personal electronic medical records, and online health and wellbeing portals. These were deployed among patients with chronic illness and healthy people providing an ideal opportunity to study engagement and enrolment in DHIs. The systematic review explored the experiences of patients and the public when engaging with or signing up to DHIs. Primary data collection during the dallas programme consisted of fourteen interviews and five focus groups with patients, carers, clinicians, and those implementing the various technologies. Secondary analysis was undertaken of forty-seven baseline, midpoint, and endpoint interviews with stakeholders implementing the DHIs during the dallas programme. All analyses followed the framework approach to identify key themes and subthemes. This was underpinned by Normalization Process Theory (NPT) to synthesise the findings and develop a conceptual model of digital health engagement and enrolment. Findings A wide range of factors affected engagement and enrolment in DHIs for the three stakeholder groups. Where patients or the public were concerned, four themes emerged from the systematic review. These were; 1) personal agency and motivation, 2) personal lifestyle and values, 3) engagement and enrolment approach, and 4) quality of the DHI. A preliminary Digital Health Engagement Model (DIEGO) was developed along with an initial catalogue of engagement and enrolment strategies. The results of the dallas programme expanded on the barriers and facilitators influencing patient and public engagement and enrolment in digital health. The main themes that arose were; 1) personal perceptions and agency, 2) personal lifestyle and values, 3) digital accessibility, 4) implementation strategy, and 5) quality of the DHI. For health professionals, three overarching themes came to light; health professional role, health service organisation and culture, and digital infrastructure. Those implementing digital health products and services were slightly different as two main themes, each of which has several subthemes, appeared to affect engagement and enrolment in DHIs. These were organisation of engagement and enrolment, and implementation strategy. Hence, the conceptual model highlighting key issues affecting patient and public engagement and enrolling in DHIs was refined and developed further based on the findings from the dallas programme. In addition, the initial catalogue of engagement and enrolment strategies was extended. Conclusion This thesis provides new insights into the digital health implementation process, in particular the early phases of engagement and enrolment. A preliminary conceptual framework of digital health engagement and enrolment, the DIEGO model, was developed which summarises key issues that need to be considered during the earliest stages of implementing digital health products and services. This new framework could help researchers, clinicians, businesses, and policy makers appreciate the dynamics of deploying digital interventions in healthcare. This work suggests that educating patients, the public, and health professionals about the benefits, risks, and limitations of health technology is needed, while supporting research that describes engagement and enrolment strategies for consumer digital health and examines their effectiveness. Implementation teams could benefit from building strategic partnerships with marketing specialists and third sector agencies, and having clear business plans and budgets to enhance the reach and impact of engagement and enrolment in digital health. A positive digital health culture also needs to be cultivated in the health service, with leaders that champion the appropriate use of technology. National policies and funding that supports health informatics education, digital literacy for citizens, and digital infrastructure may also be necessary to enable people to sign up for DHIs. These recommendations may help support implementation and improve uptake to digital health products and services in the future

Entangled Stakeholder Roles and Perceptions in Health Information Systems: A Longitudinal Study of the U.K. NHS N3 Network

The combination of pervasive and complex technology and an increasingly challenging healthcare environment is the setting for this research study. As a longitudinal case study, the research tracked the development and implementation of a large private information systems network in the U.K. National Health Service (NHS). Using stakeholder theory, we unpacked the story of a complex network of stakeholder roles and perceptions and how they changed over time. Our findings suggest that favorable and unfavorable positions held by multiple stakeholder groups become entangled and that even the same focal group may adopt competing positions that undermine the adoption of the health network. As this situation develops, the policy and implementation of the broader health IT program becomes confused and destabilized. This study makes three contributions. First, it expands the literature on stakeholder theory in the IS domain. Second, it extends the managerial focus of stakeholder approaches to include policymaking in the diverse multi-stakeholder setting of healthcare. Third, it demonstrates how IS research can employ stakeholder analysis by adopting a broader, dynamic approach to identify different stakeholder groups and by focusing on their varied roles and views during the course of a large-scale health IT program