About the project

We are looking at digital technology in social care, and we are trying to bring together groups of people with lived or professional experience in social care to decide on the most important areas for research in this area. To do this, we are going to work with the JLA.

What is the JLA?

The JLA is the James Lind Alliance, a UK-based non-profit making initiative, established in 2004. The JLA brings together clients, carers, and health professionals together, to identify unanswered questions in research and agree on the most important questions together. The JLA does this by setting up a PSP.

What is a PSP?

A PSP stands for a Priority Setting Partnership, which is a group of people brought together to agree on priorities for future research. This group of people include researchers, clients (i.e. patients and/or people who draw on care and support), carers, and health professionals, working together to decide on the most important research areas going forwards.

• This PSP is about digital technology in social care within England, which can include things such as:
• Smartphone applications, such as medication management apps
• Electronic assistive technologies, such as adapted keyboards for computers, and text-to-speech technology
• Remote monitoring and sensor systems, such as devices that monitor if someone has had a fall, or if someone has left their house unexpectedly (in the case of, for example, a patient with dementia)
• Digital resources for self-management and care coordination, such as online platforms that have self-help guides and resources for managing symptoms at home
• AI-enabled decision support tools and wearable devices, such as home ECG monitors

Why is this research important?

Digital care technologies are being increasingly embedded in health and social care systems, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic which sparked a large increase in digital solutions. Digital solutions have many potential benefits, but there are questions that must be answered about how effective they are, and how they can be made accessible for all people, how people feel about digital care, and what sort of ethical and data issues arise in digital care.

There is a lot of research into technology development, but research has often struggled to keep up with the realities of using technology in social care settings. The PSP will gather and prioritise unanswered research questions in digital care, with a focus on the voices of under-represented groups and care settings.