Digital Health Research Theme

Research interests

Healthcare delivery in 2030 will be vastly different from today. People will be living longer, with multimorbidity. Integrated care will be central to delivering complex care to this dynamic population and the social context of people’s lives remain the key determinant of how health services are planned and delivered.

Technological innovations will transform the way we diagnose, treat and manage disease. Delivering care closer to people’s homes will be the norm and hospital-based care will be for the seriously ill.

Our research focuses on creating and investigating on technological solutions to improve access and delivery of health care.  We are interested in developing personalised models of care that will lead into delivery of patient centred care.

Research areas

1. Internet of things and technology integrated health care system
2. Remote monitoring and management of conditions
3. Digital solutions (Apps, wearables, monitors) for patients support
4. Predictive risk modelling
5. Digital access to primary/community care services (e.g. electronic medical records and e-consultations)
6. Digital access and technology use by vulnerable and hard to reach groups.

 Our projects

1. Remote Electronic Symptom Management system - eSMART [Jo Armes and Emma Ream]
2. Development of an innovative health care system for palliative care in Ethiopia: Co-design and use testing of a mobile phone based remote monitoring system (E-PC) [Nicola Carey]
3. Web-based self-management to reduce distress after prostate cancer [Sara Faithfull and Jane Cockle-Hearn]
4. Developing and trialling a life-long approach to promote diabetes self-management amongst adults with type 1 diabetes-DAFNEplus [Debbie Cooke]
5. The BEAT diabetes program - an online, supported self-management for adults with type 2 diabetes [Debbie Cooke]
6. Data driven digital decision-making tool for pharmacists to provide a physical assessment and lifestyle prescription for men with prostate cancer [Agnieszka Lemanska]
7. TIHM: Technology Integrated Health Management [Payam Barnaghi (PI, 5G Centre), Emma Ream and Rahim Tafazolli (from 5G Centre)]
8. Randomised controlled trial to evaluate electronic symptom management using the Advanced Symptom Management System (ASyMS) Remote Technology for patients with cancers [Jo Armes (PI) and Emma Ream].

Methodological expertise

• User-led co-design
• Behaviour change interventions
• Data mining
• Predictive risk modelling
• eHealth system development
• Evaluation and implementation
• Creating a living laboratory and simulated environments to provide test beds for new technology.

Collaborations

The Digital Health research grouping has a range of multidisciplinary collaborations with patient/public groups, academic organisations and health providers and networks across Kent, Surrey and Sussex., and industry both nationally and internationally. It also contributes to the Digital Innovation theme of the Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) for Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

Areas of interest for doctoral study

The Digital Health theme welcomes approaches from people wishing to undertake PhD study here with us.

We particularly welcome enquiries in the following areas:

• Remote monitoring and management of symptoms in cancer and other long-term conditions
• Predictive risk modelling
• Decision support systems for healthcare professionals
• Biosensing to support improved health outcomes for patients
• Online Access in Primary Care both in terms of patients’ access to medical records or online services, and use by healthcare professionals
• Digital systems/solutions to support student and staff mental health and wellbeing.

Please contact Freda Mold (Freda.mold@surrey.ac.uk) and Debbie Cooke (d.cooke@surrey.ac.uk) our Health Sciences, Postgraduate Research Directors if you are considering PhD study.