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Home Science and Research Clinical Research Collaboration: application programme CONNECT – Moving multiple digital innovations towards connected respiratory care: addressing the over-arching challenges of whole systems implementation

CONNECT – Moving multiple digital innovations towards connected respiratory care: addressing the over-arching challenges of whole systems implementation

CRC Chairs:
Hilary Pinnock (University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom)
Job van Boven (University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands)


About CONNECT

The CONNECT (Moving multiple digital innovations towards connected respiratory care: Addressing the over-arching challenges of whole systems implementation) clinical research collaboration (CRC) was launched by the European Respiratory Society (ERS) in 2023.  Digital health is an ERS priority that can offer patients tailored, seamless (self-)management support. This would include remote access to clinical advice; enable clinicians to monitor and tailor care; provide healthcare systems with data to target resources and monitor/intervene in health events. Accelerated by the pandemic, the focus of clinical research is shifting from pilot/effectiveness studies in specific clinical contexts to sustainable implementation of (cross border) digital healthcare. However, successful implementation is complex, requiring consideration of implications for patients, professionals, and organisations, as well as an understanding of the political, regulatory, socio-economic context. Evaluation of digital initiatives should encompass assessment of all these aspects. This CRC will focus on developing an ERS wide multidisciplinary network focussed on implementing digital respiratory healthcare in order to bridge the gap between disease/location-focussed digital initiatives, and sustainable, equitable, connected implementation of digital healthcare in routine clinical respiratory practice within European (and global) healthcare systems.

Specific aims

The vision of the CRC CONNECT is to enable knowledge exchange, create a repository of available respiratory technologies, promote standardised approaches to implementation research in digital healthcare, publish position paper(s) on barriers and enablers to deployment at scale, and plan research that will inform, develop and evaluate the implementation of digital respiratory healthcare.

With this purpose, CONNECT aims specifically to:

  • Promote the exchange of research ideas among patients, clinicians, researchers, and technologists.
  • Enable knowledge exchange of available digital respiratory technologies by creating a searchable, open-access, user-controlled, European-wide repository of digital respiratory health technologies.
  • Agree on standardised approaches to implementation research on digital healthcare.
  • Scope and publish the infrastructure for prospective implementation research.
  • Plan, fund and conduct studies that will inform, develop and/or evaluate implementation of digital respiratory healthcare.

Operational aspects

To achieve those aims, five work packages have been composed:

  • WP1: Build the connect network to exchange research ideas
  • WP2: Repository of respiratory healthcare technologies
  • WP3: Systematic scoping review
  • WP4: Scope and consultation exercise
  • WP5: Applications for future funding

Stakeholders

The CRC CONNECT is composed of:

  • Core Committee: CRC chairs, representatives of patients, primary/secondary care, adults/children, senior/early career members, physicians, pharmacists.
  • Working Groups: designated lead, PhD students, early career members, a Core Committee member.
  • Expert Advisory Group: expertise in ERS/advocacy, GARD, private-public collaboration, strategic links with ATS, WHO.

Contact

If you are interested in more information about the CRC CONNECT or would like to join the network, please contact scientific@ersnet.org.