We are delighted to publish our Newsletter for Autumn 2023.
Click on the link below to find out what we have been up the past few months, and for details on upcoming conferences and events!
If you would like to be included in our distribution list for the Newsletter, please email : MOIC@notherntrust.hscni.net
To view the newsletter click here
Nicola Goodfellow presented at SHAPES pre-conference programme of the 17th International Conference of the Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe (AAATE) in Paris.
This event provided an opportunity for all pilot leaders to present on the piloting of SHAPES (Smart and Healthy Aging Through People Engaging in Supportive Systems) Digital Solutions in the SHAPES Innovation Action. Nicola Goodfellow, a MOIC programme manager, presented on Pilot 3, Medicine control and optimisation.
This pilot trailed the use of 9 SHAPES Digital Solutions with 73 older adults for 12 weeks in 4 countries across Europe, including participants from the NHSCT. The positive impacts from the pilot seen at NHSCT were: participants felt reassured that they were able to self-monitor their condition; they had a high level of trust for collecting health data and willingness to share it with healthcare teams; and most participants expressed an interest in continuing to use the Digital Solutions if they were available after the pilot.
Older people with heart failure in Northern Ireland took part in a 12-week pilot of the SHAPES platform and digital solutions earlier this year. Participants used a mobile app (combination of a SHAPES front-end app and the eCare app; both provided by EDGE) that was linked to a range of smart medical devices to record their heart rate, blood pressure, weight and oxygen saturation, as well as complete a daily survey about their health. There was a high level of engagement with the mobile app throughout the pilot. Researchers used the System Usability Score (SUS) and User Experience Questionnaire (short-version; UEQ-S) to evaluate user experience and satisfaction with the mobile app. Mean SUS score for the four participants was 83.13 (standard deviation [SD] 12.48). A score of over 68 in the SUS is considered above average, therefore this finding suggests an acceptable level of usability. Mean UEQ-S score for the four participants was 2.09 (SD 0.62). This finding indicates that the user experience was ‘excellent’ when compared with benchmark data.
Participants were also interviewed about their experience during the pilot. In terms of trusting the mobile app, none of the participants surveyed had any issue or concern with it collecting, storing and displaying their health information. All participants welcomed the potential future inclusion of healthcare practitioners in viewing their data. The participants perceived the mobile app as useful for self-monitoring their health indicators. However, they described the frequency of using the devices and mobile app every day as too burdensome and monotonous.
Challenges with recruitment of participants for this pilot and the short duration of the pilot meant that researchers were unable to evaluate how the SHAPES platform and digital solutions impacted upon their health and wellbeing outcomes. However, these positive findings on usability and user experience revealed that the digital solutions deployed in this pilot were used, useful and usable by older people living at home. Moreover, participants trusted the technology and were encouraged by the prospect of their healthcare professionals using these remote methods to monitor their health.
Frontiers in Pharmacology, the 3rd most-cited and 6th largest research publisher, has today published a manuscript looking at how the wider adoption of clinical pharmacy in Central and Eastern Europe will improve patient outcomes. MOIC were delighted to co-author this paper alongside partners from across Europe. This important paper provides more visibility across Europe for clinical pharmacy and supports the WHO 3rd Global Patient Safety Challenge ‘Medication without harm’.
Clinical pharmacy as an area of practice, education and research started developing around the 1960s when pharmacists across the globe gradually identified the need to focus more on ensuring the appropriate use of medicines to improve patient outcomes rather than being engaged in manufacturing and supply. Since that time numerous studies have shown the positive impact of clinical pharmacy services (CPS). The need for wider adoption of CPS worldwide becomes urgent, as the global population ages, and the prevalence of polypharmacy as well as shortage of healthcare professionals is rising.
Clinical Pharmacy in Northern Ireland is ahead of the trend across Europe and is an example of best practice. MOIC has been working with colleagues across Europe to share best practice and support medicines optimisation, including the development of clinical pharmacy to deliver improved patient outcomes.
Anita Hogg recently travelled to Bologna Italy to attend the ENABLE COST Action meetings and the Eurodurg Conference.
The ENABLE COST Action promotes best practice in the development and sustainable implementation of medication adherence technologies in health and social care systems. The Bologna meetings facilitated multidisciplinary collaboration for successful development and deployment of technologies and supported further development of the ENABLE repository, a key deliverable of the ENABLE Action. Over 30 countries participated. MOIC is a member of both Working Groups 1 and 2.
The European Drug Utilisation Research Group has a long time tradition of arranging scientific meetings focusing on the quality use of medicines. This year focused on the sustainable use of medicine, globalisation of medicine use and drug utilisation as well as a special focus on medication adherence. Anita attended on behalf of MOIC and was pleased to present a poster on the iSIMPATHY Shared learning model.
This was a fantastic opportunity to showcase MOIC’s work to a global audience and connect with colleagues throughout Europe.
To view the poster click here.
This week MOIC’s Anita Hogg travelled to Bologna to attend the Enable Cost Action meetings that brought together experts from throughout Europe to discuss medicine adherence.
The ENABLE Action aims to promote best practices in the development and sustainable implementation of medication adherence technologies in health and social care systems. Through this Training School, it aims to engage participants from different backgrounds and European countries in building common ground for research and practice in the interdisciplinary domain of medication adherence.
MOIC were delighted to be part of this collaboration and it was a fantastic opportunity to share learning and bring this back to Northern Ireland.