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Our research is published in peer-reviewed journals, books, and conference proceedings
Publications
The Role of Social Networks When Using Digital Health Interventions for Multimorbidity
Authors
Polak, S., van Leeuwen, C., Sillevis Smitt, M., Doyle, J., Cullen-Smith, S., Jacobs, A.
Published in
HCII
Type
Conference Paper
Year
2023
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.
Integrating the Quantitative with the Qualitative – Findings from a Mixed Methods Cardiac Rehabilitation Exercise Trial
Authors
Oonagh M. Giggins, Suzanne Cullen-Smith, Eanna Kenny, Julie Doyle
Published in
Heart Rhythm O2
Type
Journal Paper
Year
2024
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.
Cultural Adapation and validity evidence of the Student Nurse Stressor-15 (SNS-15) Scale for Brazil
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
Published in
Rev Bras Enferm
Type
Journal Paper
Year
2024
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.
Augmenting K-Means Clustering With Qualitative Data to Discover the Engagement Patterns of Older Adults With Multimorbidity When Using Digital Health Technologies - Proof-of-Concept Trial
Authors
Sheng Y, Bond R, Jaiswal R, Dinsmore J, Doyle J.
Published in
J Med Internet Res
Type
Journal Paper
Year
2024
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.
A comparison of in-person versus video-recorded player assessment by English category one football academy scouts
Authors
Owen, R., Harvey, S., Smith, B., Jones, B.
Published in
Journal of Expertise
Type
Journal Paper
Year
2024
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.
Cultural adaptation of ACT to support caregivers of autistic Latino children - A pilot study
Authors
Canon, L., Gould, E., Sandoz, E., Moran, O., & Grimaldi, M.
Published in
Contextual Behavioural Science
Type
Journal
Year
2023
Providers working with families of autistic children have a shared responsibility to ensure access to culturally responsive and linguistically appropriate services for Latino caregivers. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a promising intervention for Autism parents. However, research on ACT for Latino caregivers is absent. This small pilot study indicated that a brief, group-based, culturally adapted ACT protocol may enhance the wellbeing of Latino mothers. The 2-day intervention was associated with significant reductions in anxiety, depression and psychological inflexibility for all parents, with medium to large effect sizes. Methodological factors significantly limit conclusions, however, the study offers the foundation for a program of research centered on the promotion of thriving in Latino families with autistic children, and how to best integrate guidelines for culturally adapted practice with CBS approaches. The study also highlights the importance of centering social justice as a key component of what it means to be effective contextual behavioral scientists and the need for systemic action to address current barriers to care for Latino families.
Psychometric Evaluation of the Student Nurse Stressor-14 Scale for Undergraduate Nursing Interns
Authors
J., Yu, Y., Kong, J., Chen, Q., McAleer, P.
Published in
BMC Nursing
Type
Journal
Year
2023
Background
Currently, there are few scales used to assess the stressors experienced by undergraduate nursing interns during clinical practice, and the assessment of stressors during clinical practice is not comprehensive; the scale includes some unique stressors during training that is not available in the existing instruments used to assess nursing student practice stress in China.
Aim
The study aimed to explore the structure of the Chinese revision of the Student Nurse Stressor-14 Scale(SNS-14-CHI)and investigate the psychometric properties it among Chinese undergraduate nursing interns.
Methods
The original scale was culturally adjusted and revised after expert correspondence on the entries, and 414 undergraduate nursing interns were recruited from three cities in China to administer the questionnaire. Reliability was measured by internal consistency, fold-half reliability, and stability. Content validity was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess the validity of the SNS-14-CHI.
Results
The SNS-14-CHI retained 14 items, the EFA supported a 2-factor structure, and the items’ factor attribution differed from the original scale. The CFA results showed a good model fit. The Cronbach coefficient of the scale was 0.934, and the coefficient values of the two factors were 0.890 and 0.898. The content validity index of the scale was 0.964.The cumulative variance contribution of the 2-factor structure was 60.445%. The split-half reliability and stability were 0.869,0.762, respectively.
Conclusion
The SNS-14-CHI has excellent reliability and validity among undergraduate nursing trainees. The evaluation results of the scale can provide a reference for nursing managers to develop educational programs and interventions to quantify nursing student stress.