Virtual Hospice
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Virtual Hospice Experience Labs
IRAS ID
177029
Contact name
Tara French
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Glasgow School of Art
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 12 days
Research summary
The aim of this research project is to develop a Virtual Hospice service in order to widen access for patients and professionals and enable higher quality end-of-life care.
Highland Hospice operates as part of an integrated palliative care network of NHS and charitable organisations. It serves a population of 220,000 people distributed over an area of 10,000 square miles. The majority of clients who access services based within the Hospice building tend to live within a 30 mile radius of Inverness and, if outpatients, have contact within 'office hours'. Highland Hospice wishes to explore the potential to enable access to hospice support over a distance and at any time of the day or night.
The opportunity to explore is a user-driven framework for the Virtual Hospice – need; service offer; methods of communication; structure; and look and feel – onto which a series of technical specifications can be built. The desired output is a set of detailed briefs for a series of distinct virtual services.
The duration of the study is four months and will be carried out in 4 stages, each involving research activities that are designed to achieve the following –
Stage 1 – Crafting the message with Highland Hospice staff.
Stage 2 – Building the Virtual Hospice service menu offer with wider health professionals.
Stage 3 – Testing the Virtual Hospice service menu offer with patients, family/carers.
Stage 4 – Implementation plan for the Virtual Hospice together with professionals and patients, family/carers.REC name
London - Westminster Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/0744
Date of REC Opinion
20 Apr 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion