Howz for Health feasibility study

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Implementation of the Howz health monitoring system in older people's homes following hospital admission: A feasibility study

  • IRAS ID

    299642

  • Contact name

    Tara Kearney

  • Contact email

    tara.kearney@srft.nhs.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    0 years, 8 months, 14 days

  • Research summary

    The purpose of this study is to find out whether monitoring older people's daily routine using an easy-to-install sensor kit can help them to feel better about living in the community after being discharged from hospital, and how this can be used to improve the care provided by an NHS clinical service. Information from the sensors will be used to identify people's daily routine, for the person themselves to view and also to share with family or friends as well as NHS clinicians. It is predicted that this data could be used to detect changes in a person's routine that could be a sign of ill health, allowing early action to be taken to stop things getting any worse.
    The research team will provide participants with an easy to install sensor kit which will collect information about movement within the home, door opening and closing, and electricity use. The study will last for four months during which a member of the research team will be in contact with each participant on a weekly basis to review findings and discuss any changes in health and wellbeing. Health questionnaires and assessments will be completed at the start of the study, after six weeks and at the end of the study so that the results can be compared with the information that the sensors collect.

  • REC name

    East Midlands - Nottingham 2 Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    21/EM/0162

  • Date of REC Opinion

    5 Jul 2021

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion