Periodic Reporting for period 2 - CHESS (Connected Health Early Stage Researcher Support System)
Reporting period: 2017-09-01 to 2019-08-31
Changing demographics and increasing pressure on health-related resources mean that Europe is being forced to reimagine how it cares for the health and social care needs of its citizens. There is an urgent need to move away from the current episodic model of healthcare where we manage illness on a reactive basis and move towards a more proactive model where we manage health throughout the lifespan. Digital technologies are frequently proposed as a potential means of facilitating this move. One area that has received a significant amount of attention in recent years is the emerging field of Connected Health, which proposes a shift in which health is managed through judicious use of technology supports. Put simply, Connected Health involves a redesign of care models that are underpinned by a base of putting the right information in the right hands at the right time by enabling informed and enhanced decision making by all actors in the process.
Connected Health poses an enormous potential for the health and social care system. It promises a more efficient model of proactive and engaged care against a backdrop of economic efficiency. However, delivering a Connected Health future is far more difficult a process. It is an emerging market and science. It requires “t-shaped” individuals with deep disciplinary expertise allied to a broad understanding of a variety of domains including business, economics, life science, health science, computer science, social science, and engineering. Current research/training programmes in Europe do not address this need and adoption of Connected Health solutions, and consequently, practices are limited. The overarching aim of CHESS was to address this by means of training a leading edge cohort of Connected Health scientists and champions who have a broad understanding of multiple domains, who can communicate in an interdisciplinary world, and who can operate across the education, industry, and health and policy sectors. It is only through development of the next generation of leaders in the field, leaders who have a keen interdisciplinary understanding and collaborative outlook, that we can make true advances in the adoption of connected healthcare models, and deliver the real benefits that Connected Health promises for society.
CHESS is Europe’s first networked Connected Health PhD training programme. CHESS recruited and trained 15 PhD students across Ireland, UK, Spain, Finland, France, and Greece. The 15 PhD students carried out research projects that were spread across 4 thematic fields in Connected Health:
1. CARE
The objective of this thematic area was to investigate how technology enabled models could be designed in close consultation with the patients themselves, and to provide evidence for the effectiveness of Connected Health models
2. CHANGE
The objective of CHESS research in this area is to identify barriers to change and address accommodations that can facilitate the process amongst the different stakeholders involved in the production of health.
3. DATA
The objective of CHESS research in this area was to investigate, develop, and evaluate new algorithms and models to support the acquisition to exploitation lifecycle for “data” in Connected Health applications.
4. SUSTAINABILITY
The objective of CHESS research in this area was to investigate existing business models in healthcare and develop sustainable business and revenue models for vendors and purchasers wishing to engage in the Connected Health market.
Connected Health poses an enormous potential for the health and social care system. It promises a more efficient model of proactive and engaged care against a backdrop of economic efficiency. However, delivering a Connected Health future is far more difficult a process. It is an emerging market and science. It requires “t-shaped” individuals with deep disciplinary expertise allied to a broad understanding of a variety of domains including business, economics, life science, health science, computer science, social science, and engineering. Current research/training programmes in Europe do not address this need and adoption of Connected Health solutions, and consequently, practices are limited. The overarching aim of CHESS was to address this by means of training a leading edge cohort of Connected Health scientists and champions who have a broad understanding of multiple domains, who can communicate in an interdisciplinary world, and who can operate across the education, industry, and health and policy sectors. It is only through development of the next generation of leaders in the field, leaders who have a keen interdisciplinary understanding and collaborative outlook, that we can make true advances in the adoption of connected healthcare models, and deliver the real benefits that Connected Health promises for society.
CHESS is Europe’s first networked Connected Health PhD training programme. CHESS recruited and trained 15 PhD students across Ireland, UK, Spain, Finland, France, and Greece. The 15 PhD students carried out research projects that were spread across 4 thematic fields in Connected Health:
1. CARE
The objective of this thematic area was to investigate how technology enabled models could be designed in close consultation with the patients themselves, and to provide evidence for the effectiveness of Connected Health models
2. CHANGE
The objective of CHESS research in this area is to identify barriers to change and address accommodations that can facilitate the process amongst the different stakeholders involved in the production of health.
3. DATA
The objective of CHESS research in this area was to investigate, develop, and evaluate new algorithms and models to support the acquisition to exploitation lifecycle for “data” in Connected Health applications.
4. SUSTAINABILITY
The objective of CHESS research in this area was to investigate existing business models in healthcare and develop sustainable business and revenue models for vendors and purchasers wishing to engage in the Connected Health market.
Throughout the CHESS programme, all of the research, training, dissemination, and management work-packages progressed well. In some cases, minor changes were made to research work packages to accommodate to the natural evolution of thought that takes place during the course of a PhD programme, though these minor changes did not affect the overall project or the deliverables. The governance structure and reporting processes were quickly implemented at the start of the project and were maintained throughout the project. Shared repositories and clear communication structures were implemented. An online brand presence for the project was created through social media and a website. Reporting templates and marketing collateral were designed and shared across the consortium. All training networks took place, and all ESRs registered for a PhD within their academic organisation. All ESRs completed a Personal Career Development Plan and had regular Doctoral Studies Panel meetings. Six monthly meetings were offered to the ESRs with the Project Coordinator and Programme Manager. A consortium agreement was implemented, and all committees have been held. The mid-term review meeting took place in June 2017, and the recommendations were implemented. All metrics for training and dissemination were monitored with positive results. An IP process was implemented and ran successfully. 43 publications have been shared through OpenAire, and the ESRs attended and presented at conferences during the project. All deliverables and milestones were met. Nearly all of the ESRs have submitted and successfully defended their thesis. A few ESRs are due to submit and defend in early 2020.
CHESS provided a research and training network that enabled ESRs to gain both a PhD in a specialised area and provided them with additional future career strengths through the broad research and training provided in Connected Health by CHESS. The research outputs from CHESS are numerous, and many of the ESRs have been able to use CHESS as a springboard from which they can launch a career in this emerging field. However, the biggest contribution is not the research – it is the people. CHESS resulted in the creation of a networked cohort of T-Shaped PhD graduates who have a strong interdisciplinary outlook. This cohort of graduates are equipped with the skills, attributes, and connections to lead the charge in the next wave of innovation and adoption in Connected Health. Many of them have already secured roles in organisations where they are now applying their skills and are leading the next wave of innovation in the field. Indeed, one graduate from CHESS has recently submitted a proposal for an ITN in the field, demonstrating real leadership qualities.
The socioeconomic impact of CHESS in the short term is difficult to assess. Some of the ESRs have already gone on to secure additional funding and are engaging in the commercial world with a view to launching spin out companies. Others have seen real change in clinical care as a direct result of their research projects and technologies that were evaluated within the research programme. Other ESRs are still working on the final stages of their PhD submission. The collective impact of CHESS is difficult to evaluate. However, through the innovative and leadership capability of CHESS graduates, the real possibility of delivering truly significant impacts at a societal and economic level in the future exists. At the social level, CHESS will deliver real change in how health is managed throughout the lifespan. CHESS graduates will lead the movement towards a now proactive model of health management that is part of the Connected Health vision. At the economic level, CHESS graduates will play an important role of the services that will underpin this new model of care.
The socioeconomic impact of CHESS in the short term is difficult to assess. Some of the ESRs have already gone on to secure additional funding and are engaging in the commercial world with a view to launching spin out companies. Others have seen real change in clinical care as a direct result of their research projects and technologies that were evaluated within the research programme. Other ESRs are still working on the final stages of their PhD submission. The collective impact of CHESS is difficult to evaluate. However, through the innovative and leadership capability of CHESS graduates, the real possibility of delivering truly significant impacts at a societal and economic level in the future exists. At the social level, CHESS will deliver real change in how health is managed throughout the lifespan. CHESS graduates will lead the movement towards a now proactive model of health management that is part of the Connected Health vision. At the economic level, CHESS graduates will play an important role of the services that will underpin this new model of care.