Athena SWAN and ADVANCE: effectiveness and lessons learned

Athena SWAN and ADVANCE: effectiveness and lessons learne

The Southampton Initiative for Health:A Complex Intervention to Improve the Diets and Increase the Physical Activity Levels of Women from Disadvantaged Communities

The Southampton Initiative for Health is a training intervention with Sure Start Children’s Centre staff designed to improve the diets and physical activity levels of women of childbearing age. Training aims to help staff to support women in making changes to their lifestyles by improving three skills: reflection on current practice; asking ‘open discovery’ questions; and goal-setting. The impact of the training on staff practice is being assessed. A before and after non-randomized controlled trial is being used to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the intervention in improving women’s diets and increasing their physical activity levels

Reflections on RRI in “TAS for Health at Home”

We reflect on our experiences using Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in the project “TAS for Health at Home”. Driven by a multi-disciplinary research team that consisted of experts in mental health, stroke rehabilitation, management of multiple sclerosis, human factors, human-computer interaction, privacy, cybersecurity, architecture, and Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) groups, the project aimed at eliciting user perceptions of autonomous systems supporting healthcare regimes at home. We discuss the home as a unique place to consider RRI approaches and reflect on the actual process of carrying out RRI within the project, including the multi-disciplinarity of the project, our engagement with PPI groups, and how we involved the wider community concerned with Trustworthy Autonomous Systems (TAS). We conclude by summarising our reflections and providing a first step towards RRI-based guidelines for developing healthcare technology for the home

Examining the Use of Autonomous Systems for Home Health Support using a Smart Mirror

The home is becoming a key location for healthcare delivery, including the use of technology driven by autonomous systems (AS) to monitor and support healthcare plans. Using the example of a smart mirror, this paper describes the outcomes of focus groups with people with multiple sclerosis (MS; n=6) and people who have had a stroke (n=15) to understand their attitudes towards the use of AS for healthcare in the home. We thematic analysis to analyse the data. The results indicate that the use of such technology depends on the level of adaptability and responsiveness to the users’ specific circumstances, including their relationships with the healthcare system. A smart mirror would need to support manual entry, responsive goal setting, effective aggregation of data sources and integration with other technology, have a range of input methods, be supportive rather than prescriptive in messaging, and give the user full control of their data. Barriers to adoption include a perceived lack of portability and practicality, lack of accessibility and inclusivity, a sense of redundancy, being overwhelmed by multiple technological devices, and a lack of trust in data sharing. These results inform the development and deployment of future health technologies based on the lived experiences of people with health conditions who require ongoing care

Consensus Recommendations for the Use of Automated Insulin Delivery (AID) Technologies in Clinical Practice

International audienceThe significant and growing global prevalence of diabetes continues to challenge people with diabetes (PwD), healthcare providers and payers. While maintaining near-normal glucose levels has been shown to prevent or delay the progression of the long-term complications of diabetes, a significant proportion of PwD are not attaining their glycemic goals. During the past six years, we have seen tremendous advances in automated insulin delivery (AID) technologies. Numerous randomized controlled trials and real-world studies have shown that the use of AID systems is safe and effective in helping PwD achieve their long-term glycemic goals while reducing hypoglycemia risk. Thus, AID systems have recently become an integral part of diabetes management. However, recommendations for using AID systems in clinical settings have been lacking. Such guided recommendations are critical for AID success and acceptance. All clinicians working with PwD need to become familiar with the available systems in order to eliminate disparities in diabetes quality of care. This report provides much-needed guidance for clinicians who are interested in utilizing AIDs and presents a comprehensive listing of the evidence payers should consider when determining eligibility criteria for AID insurance coverage

'Josie Barnard'

Josie Barnard is the subject of and provided an interview for the concluding chapter of this book by novelist Sue Gee. 'Just You and the Page' opens in 1971, with the dramatist Michael Wall hammering out his plays on a portable typewriter. It concludes in 2020, when the novelist and academic Josie Barnard is teaching students to compose novels on Instagram. Between them are Booker prize winners; a poet whose life was changed by a profound religious conversion; a translator for whom Pushkin has meant everything; a distinguished environmental journalist; a famous diarist; a nature writer who restored a wood, and a political activist who fled her country and is writing now in exile. Sue Gee has interviewed twelve distinctively different writers, looking at what has shaped them: at struggle, inspiration and dedication to their art. Part memoir, part literary biography, published in extraordinary times, 'Just You and the Page' is above all about resilience

Therapy Research: Processes and Practicalities

Especially designed for physiotherapists and occupational therapists, this new text is for students and practitioners about to embark upon their first research journey. Containing both real and hypothetical examples, exercises, summaries and key points, this text aims to demystify the research process and put it in the real world for students and practitioners. <br/

Physiotherapists and evidence based practice: an opportunity or threat to the profession?

The profession of physiotherapy in the UK is undergoing a period of change. Prominent among these aspects of change is the movement to evidence based practice (EBP). EBP is a central element of policy in the National Health Service (NHS). It is being implemented in physiotherapy as a means of securing contracts with purchasers but also as a means of contesting challenges from alternative practitioners and health professionals to the areas of work that physiotherapists view as their territory. Using data collected from a qualitative study of 56 physiotherapists of different grades working in different sectors of the NHS, this paper explores physiotherapists' views of EBP and the impact that they expect it to have on professional boundaries and on the status and practice of physiotherapy. The study indicated that physiotherapists' views may differ according to their position in the profession. Senior physiotherapists appeared to view the development of EBP as a threat to the profession which would decrease professional autonomy and the status of the profession. In contrast, junior and superintendent physiotherapists appeared to view EBP as an opportunity for strengthening the profession. The impact EBP will have on the profession of physiotherapy and its relationships with a range of health professionals is as yet unknown as are the responses that physiotherapists are likely to have to this development. This study identifies the areas in which conflicts are likely to be played out. A focus for future research analysing the impact of EBP is suggested