We think it's important to share our findings

Authors

Polak, S., van Leeuwen, C., Sillevis Smitt, M., Doyle, J., Cullen-Smith, S., Jacobs, A.

The use of a digital health intervention can be a valuable addition to the self-management journey of a person living with multiple chronic conditions (multimorbidity). However, digital technology is but one aspect of self-management. Different social actors, including formal and informal carers also contribute to various self-management efforts. This study investigated the role of social networks in the use of the digital health intervention ProACT, which was designed to support the self-management abilities of older people with multimorbidity (PwMs). Self-reports of social connection, using the Lubben Social Network Scale, and semi-structured interviews after up to one year of ProACT use were analyzed. Family, friends, healthcare professionals, and triage nurses were all found to be relevant actors in the social networks of PwMs. Several psychosocial mechanisms were identified through which different social relationships influenced PwMs’ adoption and use of ProACT, including social support, social influence, social engagement, and person-to-person contact. Future digital health interventions should consider these mechanisms for effective implementation of such technology among PwMs.

Authors

Carragher, Lucia; Jones, Gemma; Marron, Ann; and Ballantine, Laura

Evidence indicates that social robots can benefit individuals with dementia by improving mood, reducing loneliness, enhancing social engagement, and addressing behavioural symptoms. However, existing literature often overlooks concepts, models, and theories from dementia care, limiting our understanding of social robots’ effectiveness. This study uniquely employs the concepts of attachment and engagement from the Validation Method, the Behavioural Staging Model, and POPFid theory to explore residents’ responses to Paro and their interactions. Using an observational design, video footage of twelve residents during afternoon activities was captured. Six participated in the Paro robot activity intervention, while six engaged in usual activities, each receiving three facilitated sessions per week for seven weeks. A total of 320 video sessions were analysed to assess verbal and non-verbal behaviour, focusing on affect and engagement levels. Three main themes emerged: feeling safe and meaningfully engaged with others; feeling insecure and anxious when alone; and deriving comfort from familiar people and objects. The study found that Paro can serve as an attachment object and a suitable activity for some dementia residents, with success influenced by factors such as dementia stage, age, gender, and staff support. Reactions to Paro varied: some residents treated it as a real pet or baby, while others were indifferent or annoyed. Effective use of Paro is challenging without detailed instructions due to limited dementia education among care staff. Although female residents generally engaged more with Paro, it facilitated group conversations and social interaction, which are vital for psychological well-being and relationship development.

Authors

Polak, S., van Leeuwen, C., Sillevis Smitt, M., Doyle, J., Cullen-Smith, S., Jacobs, A.

The use of a digital health intervention can be a valuable addition to the self-management journey of a person living with multiple chronic conditions (multimorbidity). However, digital technology is but one aspect of self-management. Different social actors, including formal and informal carers also contribute to various self-management efforts. This study investigated the role of social networks in the use of the digital health intervention ProACT, which was designed to support the self-management abilities of older people with multimorbidity (PwMs). Self-reports of social connection, using the Lubben Social Network Scale, and semi-structured interviews after up to one year of ProACT use were analyzed. Family, friends, healthcare professionals, and triage nurses were all found to be relevant actors in the social networks of PwMs. Several psychosocial mechanisms were identified through which different social relationships influenced PwMs’ adoption and use of ProACT, including social support, social influence, social engagement, and person-to-person contact. Future digital health interventions should consider these mechanisms for effective implementation of such technology among PwMs.

Authors

Oonagh M. Giggins, Suzanne Cullen-Smith, Eanna Kenny, Julie Doyle

Background

Cardiac rehabilitation is a core component of cardiovascular disease management. Eastern Corridor Medical Engineering–Cardiac Rehabilitation is a digital health platform for online cardiac rehabilitation exercise. We conducted a mixed methods pilot trial to evaluate Eastern Corridor Medical Engineering–Cardiac Rehabilitation.

Objective

The study sought to examine the difference between objectively measured outcomes and participant perceptions of benefits and improvements gained from participation in a cardiac rehabilitation exercise program.

Methods

Seventeen participants (14 male, 3 female; 69.5 ± 7.3 years of age) took part and were allocated to 1 of 2 groups; an online exercise group (n = 8), or an in-person exercise (n = 9) group. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a pragmatic approach to group allocation was adopted. Objective outcomes were assessed at baseline and repeated following the intervention period, with the primary outcome being 6-minute walk test distance. In addition to clinical outcome measurements, we undertook qualitative interviews with participants.

Results

Only 5 participants demonstrated a clinically meaningful improvement in 6-minute walk test distance, following the 8-week exercise program. The main theme emerging from the qualitative interviews was the valued benefits of the cardiac rehabilitation exercise program. Despite the lack of measurable physical change, participants self-defined a range of benefits they valued and attributed directly to participation in the cardiac rehabilitation exercise program.

Conclusion

The findings from this study may offer a useful starting point for further study of community-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise and also highlight the benefit of adopting a mixed methods approach that considers both the objective outcomes measured as well as the subjective reports obtained from participants.

Authors

Araujo, A., de Godoy, S., Freitas e Silva Maia, N.M., Trevelin, M.E., Vedana, K., Neufeld, C., Freire, N., Ventura, C.A., McAleer, P., Mendes

Objectives

To carry out the cultural adaptation and evaluation of validity evidence of the Student Nurse Stressor-15 (SNS-15) Scale for use in Brazil.

Methods

Psychometric study, conducted from the stages of translation, synthesis, back-translation, review by a committee of seven experts, pre-test and evaluation of measurement properties with 32 and 238 nursing students, respectively. Descriptive statistics, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were performed. The reliability of the instrument was estimated using McDonald’s Omega (ω).

Results

EFA subsidized the distribution of the fifteen SNS-15 items into four factors. Using AFC, satisfactory fit indices were achieved (Comparative Fit Index = 0.94; Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.93; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.06; Standardized Root Mean Square Residual = 0.16) and ω = 0.86.

Conclusions

The Brazilian version of the SNS-15 presents evidence that confirms its validity and reliability.

Authors

Sheng Y, Bond R, Jaiswal R, Dinsmore J, Doyle J.

Background

Multiple chronic conditions (multimorbidity) are becoming more prevalent among aging populations. Digital health technologies have the potential to assist in the self-management of multimorbidity, improving the awareness and monitoring of health and well-being, supporting a better understanding of the disease, and encouraging behavior change.

Objective

The aim of this study was to analyze how 60 older adults (mean age 74, SD 6.4; range 65-92 years) with multimorbidity engaged with digital symptom and well-being monitoring when using a digital health platform over a period of approximately 12 months.

Methods

Principal component analysis and clustering analysis were used to group participants based on their levels of engagement, and the data analysis focused on characteristics (eg, age, sex, and chronic health conditions), engagement outcomes, and symptom outcomes of the different clusters that were discovered.

Results

Three clusters were identified: the typical user group, the least engaged user group, and the highly engaged user group. Our findings show that age, sex, and the types of chronic health conditions do not influence engagement. The 3 primary factors influencing engagement were whether the same device was used to submit different health and well-being parameters, the number of manual operations required to take a reading, and the daily routine of the participants. The findings also indicate that higher levels of engagement may improve the participants’ outcomes (eg, reduce symptom exacerbation and increase physical activity).

Conclusions

The findings indicate potential factors that influence older adult engagement with digital health technologies for home-based multimorbidity self-management. The least engaged user groups showed decreased health and well-being outcomes related to multimorbidity self-management. Addressing the factors highlighted in this study in the design and implementation of home-based digital health technologies may improve symptom management and physical activity outcomes for older adults self-managing multimorbidity.

Authors

Owen, R., Harvey, S., Smith, B., Jones, B.

Talent identification is undertaken by football academies via scouts who traditionally attend football matches in-person. However, no previous study has compared in-person against video-recorded modalities for scouting. In the present study, a total of 30 scouts working for an English category one football academy observed the same U14 and U15 inter-academy matches either in-person (n = 13) or video-recorded (n = 17). Non-parametric analyses compared modalities (in-person vs video-recorded) in relation to the following: player performance ratings; subjective perception of modality accuracy; observation report submission time; and attentional/affectual factors including scout fatigue, joyality, attentiveness, self-control, and mental effort during observations. Results revealed no significant difference in player performance ratings when comparing in-person and video-recorded observation modalities (p > .05), despite scouts subjectively rating in-person as being the more accurate modality (p < .001). Scouts also reported that the video-recorded modality resulted in significantly quicker observation report submission (p < .001). However, video-recorded observations produced significantly greater fatigue during whole-team observations (p < .05) but not during individual-player observations (p > .05). No significant differences emerged between the modalities for joyality (p > .05), attentiveness (p > .05), self-control (p > .05), nor mental effort (p > .05). The present findings suggest that using video-recordings for the scouting of academy-level football players offers an adequately accurate and possibly more efficient alternative to in-person scouting.