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NHS Research Scotland Cardiovascular Champion leads fresh survey into digital health tech

NHS Research Scotland Cardiovascular Champion leads fresh survey into digital health tech

11th September 2024

The NHS Research Scotland (NRS) Cardiovascular Network is encouraging engagement with a new survey aimed at analysing the application of digital health technologies for heart conditions

The Network’s Clinical Research Champion, Professor Lis Neubeck, is proud to be leading a James Lind Alliance (JLA) steering group as part of its executive team to drive forward its primary goal of informing future studies that will place patients at their centre.

The project is part of a collaboration between Edinburgh Napier University – where Lis is Professor of Cardiovascular Health – and Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon University which will help to decide major priorities across the UK for those using digital health technologies to prevent and manage heart conditions.

Together, they are conducting surveys as part of their 'Digital Health for Heart Health Priority Setting Partnership’ – a James Lind Alliance-funded project aimed at gathering fresh insights.

Lis – a recent recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award at the RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year Awards – played a significant role in producing and distributing an initial survey last year which served to identify the most asked questions that cardiovascular patients, carers, and health care professionals have around the use of digital technologies.

Now a second survey – ranking the importance of those priority research questions related to digital heart health – has followed and is inviting responses up until Thursday 31 October.

Lis, a pioneer in Scottish research, said of the new survey: “Your participation in this second stage can help influence the direction of digital health solutions for cardiovascular conditions. We kindly ask you to share it with professionals, patients, carers, and any interested members of the public.

“The results will help compile a list of the top 20 questions, which will then be refined to the top 10 through an online workshop with volunteers from the community.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity of undertaking this further analysis with the James Lind Alliance and the significant possibilities it opens up for shaping our research going forward.

“It is vital that we gain such input as the views of those who are most impacted can help to unlock the right innovation, leading to successful prevention and management of heart disease and heart conditions. We hope that the second stage of this inclusive survey will provide us with further useful insights, ensuring that all representative voices are heard.

“The survey takes just 10 to 15 minutes so we would urge you to not miss out on the chance to have your say on digital health technologies in cardiovascular research and are really grateful to all those helping us to advance important research.”

Cardiovascular Champion Support Manager at NRS, Mary McAuley said: “I’m delighted to be a member of a steering committee which encourages such a wide spectrum of perspectives, ultimately aimed at improving the deployment of digital health tech – one of our most powerful tools for preventing and managing heart conditions.”

According to the non-profit making JLA, its Priority Setting Partnerships (PSPs) “work to identify which uncertainties really matter and where research would make the most difference.” They “have the potential to impact on the people who take part in them, the profile of the areas they set priorities in, and of course the research that is funded.”

The PSP defines 'digital technologies' as a broad range of interventions, tools, and services that utilise information communications technology to benefit and improve people's heart health.

This includes, but is not limited to, remote care delivery, treatment support, monitoring, and self-management, as well as innovative approaches such as virtual reality, avatars and artificial intelligence (AI).

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