IGHI is home to a team of staff who are skilled and passionate about their roles. Our talented people are the reason we’re able to tackle some of the most pressing global health challenges through cutting-edge innovation.
We’re giving you the chance to get to know our staff a little better and learn about what motivates them in their roles, who inspires them and what they like to get up to outside of IGHI.
Meet Ferdinando Rodriguez y Baena, co-director of IGHI’s Hamlyn Centre and Professor of Medical Robotics. Find out more about Ferdinando’s passion for engineering and medicine and his love for food!
What does your role involve?
As the engineering co-director of the Hamlyn Centre, I work with Professor Ara Darzi to deliver the strategy we have set out, keep our finances in check, and look for new ways to expand our remit, reach and impact.
What attracted you to the role?
The opportunity to influence a research field that is close to my heart. I was also attracted by the chance to build tighter links between engineering and medicine, which I think are key to understanding what is needed to translate research successfully and achieve clinical impact.
How would your colleagues describe you in three words?
Caring, funny, and with integrity.
What’s your biggest achievement to date – personal or professional?
The impossible question… remaining sane while juggling family life and career in a working couple household!
Who inspires you?
Amazing people that no one knows about.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Definitely teletransportation!
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Definitely food! Mrs and I are definitely foodies. Was it not for my discipline and self-control, I would most definitely be rolling into work!
Health and care organisations have historically lagged behind those in other industries in making the most of digital technologies and data solutions. Yet the rapid onset and escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic has essentially forced organisations to embrace these tools to quickly adapt to new ways of working and delivering their services.
This overhaul of industry norms has led to a number of key questions: how widespread has this adoption been? Which tools and technologies have been implemented, and how have these solutions affected staff productivity and service delivery? What will ‘stick’ after the pandemic ends and we return to some semblance of pre-COVID normality?
Our new report, Embracing digital: is COVID-19 the lasting catalyst for change?, delves into these questions and more. The bulk of this paper centres on a multi-country survey by YouGov of over 2,200 people working in health and human services (HHS). The survey was conducted in September of last year, approximately 6 months after many countries had implemented lockdown measures and other restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the pandemic. We also carried out expert interviews to flesh out additional insights.
The rise of digital health technologies
Unsurprisingly, we found that nearly two-thirds of survey respondents reported an increase in the use of digital and data solutions since the onset of the pandemic. Use of phone and video consultations was most common, with phone consultations offered by 81% of respondents (compared to 39% pre-pandemic) and video consultations offered by 71% of organisations (compared to 22% pre-pandemic). While less widespread, the use of AI-powered diagnostic tools also more than doubled among our sample (38% compared to 18% pre-COVID).
Encouragingly, our survey suggests that adoption of data solutions and digital technologies has led to a number of positive effects. 63% of respondents agreed that the use of these tools has improved staff productivity since the onset of the pandemic. A similar number reported that the use of these solutions has been effective in improving access to care when and where people need it; and 62% cited an improvement in the quality of care experience for citizens.
Short-term solution or long-term shift?
With coronavirus vaccines being rolled out across the globe, many organisations are beginning to plan for post-pandemic operations. So the question remains: was the use of many of these digital solutions a temporary measure, or will we see lasting, transformative change?
The picture is mixed among our respondents, with almost half agreeing that the introduction of data solutions and digital technologies was a temporary measure to help their organisation get through the pandemic period. Yet a third neither agreed nor disagreed, highlighting a number of uncertainties in the industry over future strategies.
Continued use, broader adoption, and sustainability of these tools will depend on a number of factors. While emergency funding and temporary reimbursement fuelled an uptake in digital/remote delivery of care, permanent changes to incentives and reimbursement will be necessary to sustain these services. Similarly, hastily developed and implemented tools may need updating to comply with standard privacy and data regulations, which may have been relaxed during the pandemic.
Additionally, once the acute need for these solutions ebbs, health and care providers may be hesitant to continue using clunky tools that lack interoperability and contribute to additional administrative burden. This highlights the need for organisations to invest in coordinated strategies and infrastructures across these solutions, as well as ensuring that all tools are user-friendly. People’s preferences may also play a role, with many now becoming accustomed to tech-enabled services that offer speed and convenience.
Maintaining momentum
We are at a unique crossroads with the opportunity to use the traction gained for these solutions to drive further improvements in care delivery and outcomes for citizens across the globe. To achieve this, all stakeholders – payers, regulators, vendors, and providers – must each do their part to ensure that we move forward and do not lose momentum.
The report, ‘Embracing digital: is COVID-19 the lasting catalyst for change?’ was led by the Institute of Global Health Innovation and commissioned by our partners, EY. Download the report here.
Didi Thompson is a Policy Fellow at the Institute of Global Health Innovation
Much research has moved online during COVID-19, but that hasn’t stopped Lindsay and her co-researchers
World Mental Health Day is an opportunity to reflect on what needs to change, but also to celebrate the people who are working to make sure positive change happens. Like Dr Lindsay Dewa, IGHI Research Fellow and mental health expert.
We caught up with Lindsay to find out about her mental health research, her path into academia, and why she’s excited about what the future might hold. (more…)
Grappling with a novel virus that reared its ugly head barely six months ago, the world is facing many uncertainties. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is proving unpredictable and the pandemic is fast-moving. But one thing we do know is that older people bear the brunt of the impacts of COVID-19. The elderly are disproportionately affected, with those over 65 accounting for some 80% of hospitalisations due to the disease. And one in five over-80s with COVID-19 will need to go to hospital, compared with one in 100 individuals under 30. (more…)
“Please indicate whether your research will include patient and public involvement.” Ticks box.
Rapidly fading are the days when involving patients and the public in research is merely a tokenistic gesture, in favour of meaningful involvement and co-production.
Patient and public involvement (PPI) is research that’s carried out with and by patients, carers and public members, rather than to, for or about them. Co-production takes this one step further; here, researchers work with these individuals throughout the entire project – from start to finish. (more…)
Caroline, second from the left, talks about her experience of being involved in our research at a symposium on patient safety.
Research is our bread and butter at IGHI. It lets us explore problems, ask questions, test ideas, make mistakes and learn from them. And after all that, find the right solutions to the issues we’re trying to address in healthcare.
None of this would be possible without people. But not only the brilliant researchers who are the driving force behind our progress. The patients, carers, public and healthcare professionals who devote their time to get involved and be part of our research play an invaluable role in what we do, too. It is through their knowledge and lived experience that we know we’re asking the right questions and chasing the right solutions.
This International Clinical Trials Day, we want to highlight why being involved in research is vital to make progress in healthcare, and shine a light on some of the people who are doing just that.
Caroline, right, presenting findings of the research she carried out with Lindsay, left
Caroline’s story
“I was studying social sciences in London when I first got involved in research at IGHI. I’d been wanting to gain some experience in carrying out research, beyond filling out forms and surveys. I’m really interested in mental health and try to keep my finger on the pulse with what’s out there. So when this opportunity landed in my inbox, looking for young people with lived experience of mental health difficulties to take part in a project as co-researchers, it immediately struck my interest.
“The study was exploring the use of technology to detect deteriorating mental health in young people. We were involved in every stage of the project, helping to shape the work in a way that was meaningful. Sometimes it can feel like involvement is a bit of a tokenistic gesture to fulfil the criteria of a grant, but Lindsay and Anna, the research lead and involvement manager, never gave me that impression. By involving us, they wanted to make sure that the research was asking the right questions, and that it was relevant and of interest to the young people she’s seeking to help through her work.
“After helping to guide the direction of the research, we were trained to carry out interviews with young people with mental health difficulties, and then to code the transcripts and help analyse them. We even attended conferences and shared our findings at various events, so we really got to take part from start to finish. That meant I could really see the impact of the work and how everything fits together.
“It also really impacted me; knowing you’ve played a part in something that will likely affect others going through what you’ve been through is a really rewarding experience. And off the back of this project, I’ve actually started computer coding and will be starting a master’s in computer science.
“Before I joined this research project, I wasn’t really sure of the difference I could make. But I was so wrong! I worried my contributions would be the obvious thing to say, but I realised having that lived experience really does add another perspective that’s needed in research. I would definitely do it again and encourage others to do so – you really can make a difference.”
Anna’s story
Anna engaging with the public at one of our pop-up events. Credit: James Retief
“I’m the Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Lead at IGHI. My role is to support the meaningful involvement of patients, carers and the public in research.
“It’s great to see how people like Caroline have not only impacted the research, but also gained from the experience, including learning new skills and growing in confidence. That’s why it’s so important that engagement and involvement in research continues despite the current crisis. Although COVID-19 has meant that we’ve had to change the way that we do this, we’re learning a lot and finding that involving people virtually can still be a really valuable and successful process.
“For online meetings, for example, we use ice breakers like “What’s your favourite lockdown TV show or book?” to help remove hierarchy and find some common ground, before we get the group to work on a task together. We’re using live captioning on our online platforms so people can read what is being said as well as listen, which has not only been useful for those with hearing loss, but also helps visual learners to reflect more on what is being said.
“Due to not being in person to read body language or take people outside for a chat, there is a greater need to ensure appropriate safeguarding. For example, we offer to chat to people individually before the meeting and introduce them to the online platform, so they will be familiar with at least one person. For sensitive topics or with vulnerable people, we have clinicians either in the meeting or on-call (to support people, as needed). We also ask individuals to provide a friend/family member’s contact details and signpost to appropriate support services (e.g. SHOUT crisis textline).
“We’re also thinking about ways to involve seldom heard groups during COVID-19, for example by providing dongles, as people might not have access to WiFi or unlimited data. We recognise not everyone wants to, or is able to, interact online. We want to build on existing community groups (e.g. through a buddy scheme or phoning rotas), but we also understand people might have more immediate needs to tend to.
“My colleagues and I are very grateful to the amazing, altruistic people who, although some of their situations might not improve, want to be involved in research to help others. We’re glad to hear people enjoy the experience of giving something back to the NHS. I enjoy seeing researchers, clinicians and public members learning from each other and, particularly now, learning together during this pandemic.”
Lighting up the Queen’s Tower in honour of World Patient Safety Day was just one of our many proud moments this year.
As the year draws to a close, we look back at some of IGHI’s best moments over the past 12 months. From launching new trials to test out promising health innovations, to partnering for better mental health, our Institute has achieved many things we’re proud of.
Find out how our progress is leading us towards our ambition of transforming health and care for all. (more…)
This site provides frequent blog posts from staff and students within the College relating to the various global health topics we are working on within the institute and Imperial. It aims to be an arena for debate and discussion and we welcome your comments and suggestions.
We are always looking for guest bloggers (internal and external to the College). If you would like to write for our blog, contact IGHI’s Communications and Events Assistant Nikita Rathod n.rathod@imperial.ac.uk tel 0207 594 8841.
IGHI is home to a team of staff who are skilled and passionate about their roles. Our talented people are the reason we’re able to tackle some of the most pressing global health challenges through cutting-edge innovation.
