In Partnership with the Lancashire and South Cumbria ICS

Challenge

The ICS has a diverse array of staff and citizens interested in championing digital health products and pathways but needed a structured way to train them to be advocates. Having procured an online training package, the ICS wanted to review the user experience to ensure using the platform was a positive experience and that it delivered the desired outcomes.

Solution

Firstly, we evaluated the usability of an online learning platform introduced to Digital Champions from five different communities. The Champions included 5 Digital Nurses and 20 patients who had been recruited from the local community, split across five groups: Afro-Caribbean, Hearing impaired, Learning Difficulties, Autism and Older Age persons. We took a heuristic evaluation approach to determine usability. Our approach took into account the patient perspective, as well as capturing the user experience of the Digital Nurses using the online learning platform.

Secondly, we surveyed the Digital Champions to understand their experience of progressing through their learning modules. Survey and interview techniques were designed to accommodate the needs of the five groups involved. Healthwave used a citizen-led methodology where participants specified how they wanted to talk to us. For example, we co-designed an appropriate data collection method for members of the autistic community that were enrolled in the programme.

Our work supported ongoing procurement decisions for the ICS about platforms to train Digital Champions, assisting the ICS to further develop the NHS digital front door for BAME, Deaf and LD&A communities.

“When the ICS wanted to train Digital Champions, we knew they needed a platform that had been tested and approved by both patients and staff. They also knew that this platform needed to be accessible to everyone, no matter their background.

We worked with Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System (ICS) to design and conduct usability testing for five different groups of people: Afro-Caribbean, hearing impaired, learning difficulties, autism and older age persons. Our goal was to ensure that using the platform was a positive experience for all parties involved. We also wanted to make sure that it delivered the desired outcomes—that it helped people learn how they could become advocates for digital health products and pathways.

The work we did with the ICS supported ongoing procurement decisions about which platform would be fit for training Digital Champions in the NHS digital front door for BAME, deaf and LD&A communities`”. Dr John Tredinnick-Rowe, Research Lead, Healthwave