Edinburgh Napier University

Digital health refers to the use of information and communications technologies in medicine and other health professions to manage illnesses and health risks and to promote wellness.

At Edinburgh Napier University we are investigating the use of technology in the home and electronically sharing the readings with a nurse or doctor to help manage high blood pressure. This is a major cause of death and disability, affecting 1.13bn people (1 in 4 adults) worldwide and responsible for 50% of heart attacks and strokes. Often without symptoms, it is known as the ‘silent killer’ with as many as 20% of those with high blood pressure undiagnosed or not treated to target. High blood pressure costs the NHS in the UK up to £3bn annually. In Scotland, blood pressure checks account for 1.2m appointments annually for a population of 5.5m. With an ageing society these numbers will rise, presenting an urgent need for solutions to manage the epidemic of high blood pressure. 

We are also developing mHealth apps to encourage medication adherence for people with atrial fibrillation and using apps and text interventions to promote physical activity.

Key research areas

• Using technology to measure blood pressure at home Associate Professor Janet Hanley, Professor Lis Neubeck
• Medication adherence mHealth app Professor Lis Neubeck, Dr Coral Hanson, Ms Alice Pearsons
• Using digital technology to promote physical activity Dr Coral Hanson, Dr Sheona McHale, Mr Jordan Bell 

Publications

Redfern, J., Coorey, G., Mulley, J., Scaria, A., Neubeck, L., Hafiz, N., …Peiris, D. (in press). A digital health intervention for cardiovascular disease management in primary care (CONNECT) randomized controlled trial. npj Digital Medicine, 3, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-020-00325-z

Coorey, G., Peiris, D., Scaria, A., Mulley, J., Neubeck, L., Hafiz, N., & Redfern, J. (2021). An Internet-Based Intervention for Cardiovascular Disease Management Integrated With Primary Care Electronic Health Records: Mixed Methods Evaluation of Implementation Fidelity and User Engagement. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(4), https://doi.org/10.2196/25333

Giggins, O. M., Doyle, J., Sojan, N., Moran, O., Crabtree, D. R., Fraser, M., & Muggeridge, D. J. (2021). Accuracy of Wrist-Worn Photoplethysmography Devices at Measuring Heart Rate in the Laboratory and During Free-Living Activities. In  2021 43rd Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society (EMBC)https://doi.org/10.1109/embc46164.2021.9629522

Jensen, M. T., Treskes, R. W., Caiani, E. G., Casado-Arroyo, R., Cowie, M. R., Dilaveris, P., …Lumens, J. (2021). ESC Working Group on e-Cardiology Position Paper: Use of Commercially Available Wearable Technology for Heart Rate and Activity Tracking in Primary and Secondary Cardiovascular Prevention. European Heart Journal – Digital Health, 2(1), 49-59. https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjdh/ztab011

Muggeridge, D. J., Hickson, K., Davies, A. V., Giggins, O. M., Megson, I. L., Gorely, T., & Crabtree, D. R. (2021). Measurement of Heart Rate Using the Polar OH1 and Fitbit Charge 3 Wearable Devices in Healthy Adults During Light, Moderate, Vigorous, and Sprint-Based Exercise: Validation Study. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 9(3), https://doi.org/10.2196/25313

Neubeck, L., Coorey, G., Peiris, D., Scaria, A., Mulley, J., Hafiz, N., & Redfern, J. (2021). An Internet-based Health Intervention for Cardiovascular Disease Management that is Integrated with Primary Care Electronic Health Records: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of Implementation Fidelity and User Experience. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(4), https://doi.org/10.2196/25333

Parker, R. A., Padfield, P., Hanley, J., Pinnock, H., Kennedy, J., Stoddart, A., …McKinstry, B. (2021). Examining the effectiveness of telemonitoring with routinely acquired blood pressure data in primary care: challenges in the statistical analysis. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 21(1), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-021-01219-8  

Pearsons, A., Hanson, C. L., Gallagher, R., O'Carroll, R. E., Khonsari, S., Hanley, J., …Neubeck, L. (2021). Atrial fibrillation self-management: a mobile telephone app scoping review and content analysis. European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 20(4), 305–314. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjcn/zvaa014

Thomson, N. K., McMichan, L., Macrae, E., Baker, J. S., Muggeridge, D. J., & Easton, C. (2021). Validity of the iPhone M7 Motion Coprocessor to Estimate Physical Activity During Structured and Free-Living Activities in Healthy Adults. Journal for the Measurement of Physical Behaviour, 4(3), 212-219. https://doi.org/10.1123/jmpb.2020-0067  

Callum, K., Muggeridge, D. J., Giggins, O. M., Crabtree, D. R., Gorely, T., & Leslie, S. J. (2020). Clinical application of physical-activity monitoring in patients with CIEDs. British Journal of Cardiology, 27, 115-118. https://doi.org/10.5837/bjc.2020.035

Coorey, G., Peiris, D., Neubeck, L., & Redfern, J. (2020). A realist evaluation approach to explaining the role of context in the impact of a complex eHealth intervention for improving prevention of cardiovascular disease. BMC Health Services Research, 20(1), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05597-5

Gallagher, R., Parker, H., Zhang, L., Kirkness, A., Roach, K., Belshaw, J., …Neubeck, L. (2020). Target Audience and Preferences Related to an Australian Coronary Heart Disease Specific Mobile App: A Mixed Methods Study. Heart, Lung and Circulation, 29(5), 696-702. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hlc.2019.05.178

Hammersley, V., Parker, R., Paterson, M., Hanley, J., Pinnock, H., Padfield, P., …McKinstry, B. (2020). Telemonitoring at scale for hypertension in primary care: An implementation study. PLoS Medicine, 17(6), e1003124. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003124

Martin, A., Caon, M., Adorni, F., Andreoni, G., Ascolese, A., Atkinson, S., …McKinstry, B. (2020). A mobile phone intervention to improve obesity-related health behaviors of adolescents across Europe: An iterative co-design and feasibility study. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 8(3), https://doi.org/10.2196/14118

O’Neil, A., Cadilhac, D. A., Grace, S. L., Thomas, E., Grace, S., Boyle, D., …O'Neil, A. (2020). Utilising a data capture tool to populate a cardiac rehabilitation registry: a feasibility study. Heart, Lung and Circulation, 29(2), 224-232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hlc.2018.12.012

Gallagher, R., Chow, C., Parker, H., Neubeck, L., Celermajer, D., Redfern, J., …Figtree, G. (2019). Design and rationale of the MyHeartMate study: a randomised controlled trial of a game-based app to promote behaviour change in patients with cardiovascular disease. BMJ Open, 9(5), https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024269

Frederix, I., Caiani, E. G., Dendale, P., Anker, S., Bax, J., Böhm, A., …van der Velde, E. (2019). ESC e-Cardiology Working Group Position Paper: Overcoming challenges in digital health implementation in cardiovascular medicine. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 26(11), 1166-1177. https://doi.org/10.1177/2047487319832394

Jin, K., Khonsari, S., Gallagher, R., Gallagher, P., Clark, A. M., Freedman, B., …Neubeck, L. (2019). Telehealth interventions for the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 18(4), https://doi.org/10.1177/1474515119826510

Orchard, J. J., Neubeck, L., Orchard, J. W., Puranik, R., Raju, H., Freedman, B., …Semsarian, C. (2019). ECG-based Cardiac Screening Programs: Legal, Ethical and Logistical Considerations. Heart Rhythm, 16(10), 1584-1591. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrthm.2019.03.025 

Straiton, N., Alharbi, M., Smith, S., Neubeck, L., & Gallagher, R. (2019). Data management and wearables in older adults: A systematic review. Maturitas, 124, 100-110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2019.03.012