Exploring unmet diagnostic needs in care homes in a Post-Pandemic world
Project summary
Care Homes within the UK are an underserved population of the healthcare system, often consisting of individuals with multiple complex conditions.
Following the Covid-19 pandemic, a growing need emerged to develop diagnostics for use within a care homes, but there was little evidence to show what those tests should be, or which clinical problems are the most urgent.
To understand the priorities in care homes, the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria (NIHR ARC NENC) funded a project led by the former NIHR Newcastle In Vitro Diagnostics Co-operative (MIC) (now the NIHR Health Tech Research Centre in Diagnostic and Technology Evaluation), to capture perspectives of over 70 healthcare workers in the care homes community, through a mixture or interviews and surveys.
Participants identified and prioritised unmet needs, and the NIHR Innovation Observatory conducting rapid reviews on some of the highest rated unmet needs, including Urinary Tract Infections and Respiratory Tract Infections, to highlight the gaps in the market for diagnostics designed for care homes.
How did this work make a difference?
This collaboration between co-located NIHR infrastructure in the North East and North Cumbria region identified 65 unmet needs, including 40 diagnostic unmet needs within the care home community, and has laid the foundation for future research.
The work aims to allow healthcare, industry, and academia to focus on these priority areas and develop technologies which address a real-world clinical need and can improve care home residents’ quality of life.
Findings from this work were developed into a booklet which was shared with Diagnostics North East (DxNE) to share with developers. This led to enquiries linked to wearable monitoring in care homes and UTI testing. The booklet will be revised and professionally printed and marketed once the project final report is completed.
The initial project has also led to increased collaboration between HRCs and ARCs nationally, around care home work and the need for closer working together.
How did regional partners collaborate on this work?
- The NIHR Applied Research Collaboration NENC funded this project as part of their Open Funding Competition in 2012. This was one of 57 projects funded over two years, all of which addressed pressing local health and care research needs.
- The NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Diagnostic and Technology Evaluation (formerly NIHR Newcastle MIC) led this project and conducted the interviews and survey.
- The NIHR Innovation Observatory conducted horizon scanning, and rapid reviews of the prioritised results.
- NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) North East and North Cumbria (via a co-funded Research Nurse, Louise Jones) has supported the work via Louise’s existing, embedded research in care homes and the links she has established.
- Health Innovation Network (HIN) North East and North Cumbria supported this work as a co-applicant for the funding
What happens next?
The findings from this work will be published formally in late 2024, and shared at the British Geriatric Society in 2024.
You can read more about the project here
For more information, contact Angela Pyle: angela.pyle@newcastle.ac.uk