I’m a PhD student at Western University (in
London, Canada) in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, and for the last two
weeks I’ve been visiting the RAT group at the University of Sheffield to learn
more about the use of technologies for managing chronic illness. As a student
at Western, I’m part of the Healthy Ageing team in the Ageing, Rehabilitation and Geriatric Care (ARGC) Research Centre with the Lawson Health Research
Institute. Some of the research we do uses exercise prescription, behavioural
counselling, and self-directed health technologies for remote patient
monitoring in an effort to promote healthy living behaviours and prevent or
manage disease progression. For the most part, these technologies are
relatively simple and accessible devices, such as smartphones and
Bluetooth-enabled peripheral devices like blood pressure monitors, glucometers,
pedometers, and weigh scales. This research is carried out in rural and urban
centres in collaboration with other research teams at Western, and is also part
of an international consortium with research teams in Finland.
It’s been great to have this opportunity to
visit the University of Sheffield and learn, hands-on, about some of the
technologies that are being developed for patient self-management of chronic
illness as part of the SMART2 project. I think there are many exciting
applications for technologies (like SMART2) to be implemented in health service
delivery and improve patient care for chronic disease as well as
lifestyle-related conditions (such as stroke rehabilitation, heart failure,
diabetes and obesity). And I would even speculate that capitalising on personalised
self-management programs like the ones included in the SMART2 will help ease
the burden on the health care system and improve quality of care and quality of
life for patients living with chronic illness.
Thank you to the RAT group for opening your
doors and sharing your insights with me during my visit!
[written by Emily Knight]
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