PhD Student: Julia Ballavenuto; Partner: Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Supervisors: Dr. Marco Bardos and Prof. Peymané Adab; Department of Applied Health Sciences
Long-term conditions impose a significant burden on individuals and healthcare systems. In the UK, these conditions account for half of all GP appointments, 90% of hospital bed utilisation, and 70% of health and social care costs. Over 26 million people live with at least one condition, with 10 million living with two or more. Yet nearly half report feeling unconfident in managing their condition. The use of digital health tools, such as patient portals, telehealth, mobile apps, and wearable devices, shows great promise in supporting and empowering patients, putting them at the centre of care.
Birmingham Community HealthCare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHC) serves 1.1 million people in Birmingham and 6.5 million across the West Midlands. BCHC also includes Community Connexions, an engagement programme focused on the health experiences of underserved communities. In this diverse region, understanding how to encourage the use of digital health services (DHS) and foster engagement among different socioeconomic and underserved groups is essential.
This project aims to understand why and how different/diverse patients start, maintain, or stop using the DHS BCHC offers to manage their long-term conditions. It also seeks to identify ways to enhance uptake and to investigate whether DHS are associated with improved clinical outcomes, quality of life, and cost savings. Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, this study aims to identify barriers and enablers to accessing and using DHS from the perspectives of diverse patient groups, monitor patient engagement over time, and assess the impact on behavioural and clinical outcomes using behavioural and clinical data.