I have written an Editorial for the Palliative Medicine journal about the unrealised potential of palliative care telehealth. In the Editorial, I discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with telehealth; I also describe the next steps needed for research to evaluate palliative care telehealth.
I have also recorded a podcast to summarise the Ediorial. The article and podcast are freely available from the links below:
We are delighted to announce that Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool, in partnership with the Inclusionaries Lab, has won a prestigious award at an event recognising the best innovators and researchers in health and care in Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and South Cumbria.
The North West Coast Research and Innovation Awards is the only health awards event for the region, run by three NHS bodies focussed on research and innovation. The Culture for Innovation Award was presented to Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool (in partnership with the Inclusionaries Lab, University of Liverpool) in recognition of the innovative ‘Designer in Residence’ project, which involves hosting a designer (Andrew Tibbles) in Marie Hospice Liverpool for a year, to research how design methods can improve future palliative care. This project has resulted in the opening of a temporary Research Hub in the clinical area of Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool, the creation of a prototype phone installation to capture people’s experiences of hospice care, and the development of future work to explore how design can support future digital legacy research.
Left to right: Dr Laura Chapman (Medical Director and Consultant in Palliative Care, Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool), Sarah Stanley (Research Nurse, Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool), Dr Amara Nwosu (Senior Clinical Lecture in Palliative Care, Lancaster University; Honorary Consultant in Palliative Care, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Research Lead, Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool), Andrew Tibbles (PhD Design student, the Inclusionaries Lab – University of Liverpool), Hayley Hawkins (Deputy Head of Operations, Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool).
Commenting on the award, Dr Amara Nwosu (Senior Clinical Lecture in Palliative Care, Lancaster University; Honorary Consultant in Palliative Care, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Research Lead, Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool) said “We are delighted to be the first palliative care winner of an award from North West Coast Research and Innovation Awards. Palliative care is an essential component to effective healthcare systems; we are proud that our innovative work to use design methods to shape palliative care services has been acknowledged through this wonderful award”.
Hosted by the Innovation Agency; Clinical Research Network North West Coast (CRN NWC); and Applied Research Collaboration North West Coast (ARC NWC) the event attracted around 180 entries, of whom 36 were shortlisted in 12 categories.
Special guest Professor Sir Stephen Powis, Medical Director of the NHS, said: “Every challenge we face is an opportunity to learn, collaborate and embrace new approaches to deliver improvements in the services we provide, for the benefit of patients, staff and the wider NHS.
“As the NHS looks forward to its 75th birthday on 5th July, it is a good time to reflect on its journey and on the incredible research and innovation milestones that have transformed patient outcomes and that will help to build an NHS that is fit for the future.”
The event took place at The Royal College of Physicians, The Spine in Liverpool, hosted by BBC TV North West and Breakfast presenter Roger Johnson. The full list of winners is below; to find out more about their entries, visit www.nwcawards.co.uk.
WINNERS 2023
Culture for Innovation Award: Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool
Innovation in Workforce Development Award: Health Education England NW; Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust; University of Central Lancashire
Patient Safety and Care Improvement Award: Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Innovation Agency
Research Student of the Year Award: Piotr Teodorowski, University of Liverpool
Ruth Young Award for Research Implementation: Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Outstanding Contribution to Patient and Public Involvement Award: Lancaster University
Research Delivery Team of the Year Award: Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Research Collaboration of the Year Award: Marine Lake Medical Practice and Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Primary Care and/or Community Research Team of the Year Award: Lancaster Medical Practice
Unsung Hero: NHS 75th Anniversary Award: Sue Smith of One Wirral CIC
Tackling Health Inequalities Award: Liverpool John Moores University; University of Liverpool; Edge Hill University
Sustainability Award: Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Broadgreen University Hospital
Hello, my name is Dr Amara Nwosu, I am a Senior Clinical Lecturer (Lancaster Medical School) and Honorary Consultant in Palliative Medicine (Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Marie Curie Hospice Liverpool). In 2020, I was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to visit the U.S.A and the Netherlands to research how technology, data and design can support healthcare for people who with serious illness. My Churchill Fellowship is supported my Marie Curie.
The Churchill Fellowship
The Churchill Fellowship is an overseas travelling fellowship to support UK citizens to travel the world in search of innovative solutions for today’s most pressing problems. The Churchill Fellowship was founded by public donation in 1965 as the living legacy of Sir Winston Churchill for the UK.
The aim of my Fellowship
I aim to research how technology, data and design can support healthcare for people who with serious illness. This is because the UK population is ageing and palliative care need will increase by 42% by 2040; demand for care wil be challenging for NHS to meet without innovation. Palliative care need in the UK has been exacerbated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. When used well, digital health improves access to healthcare services; however, many barriers prevent meaningful use of these technologies in the UK. Through this Fellowship, I will travel to the Netherlands (Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam; Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Delft and IKNL, locatie Utrecht) and the USA (Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard University, Boston) to meet professionals from a variety of disciplines who are using applications of design, technology and data in palliative care that can benefit the UK.
My travels (eventually) begin!
The My trip has been delayed due to the COVID19 pandemic, but I have finially commenced my trip to the Netherlands in May 2023! Firstly, I visited the Nemo Science Museum in Amsterdam which housed a fantastic exhibition about death and dying. The section titled ‘Over de dood’ (About Death) takes people through a journey about people’s views and experiences of death and dying from different cultural perspectives. The exhibition uses a mix of text, images and lighting to provide a thoughtful and emotional experience about death and dying, from a societal and human persepctive rather than a medical one. I really loved the design of the exhibition, with its inclusion within a family science musuem but also located within the ‘Hoe word ik ouder’ (How will I age?) section of the musuem, which presented positive messages about aging.
Next stop is to visit Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), where I will deliver a seminar about my research and will meet designers and engineers to learn about their excellent work.
I will provide updates about my progress in further blogs and I will record a podcast to summarise the findings of my trip.
My Research interest
Examples of my interests for the fellowship
Selected publications
Nwosu AC, McGlinchey T, Sanders J, Stanley S, Palfrey J, Lubbers P, Chapman L, Finucane A, Mason S
Identification of Digital Health Priorities for Palliative Care Research: Modified Delphi Study
JMIR Aging 2022;5(1):e32075
In this episode I provide an overview of the use of bioimpedance analysis to assess hydration over time in a patient with POEMS syndrome. This was published in the BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care journal and can be found through the link provided below.
Nwosu AC, Morris L, Mayland C, Mason S, Pettitt A, Ellershaw J.
Longitudinal bioimpedance assessments to evaluate hydration in POEMS syndrome. BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care doi:10.1136/bmjspcare-2015-000991
spcare.bmj.com/content/early/201…-2015-000991.full
Nwosu AC, Mayland CR, Mason S, Khodabukus AF, Varro A, Ellershaw JE. Hydration in advanced cancer: can bioelectrical impedance analysis improve the evidence base? A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 2013; 46(3):433-446.e6
www.jpsmjournal.com/article/S0885-3…0499-X/abstract
Researchgate link: www.researchgate.net/publication/23…the_Literature
Nwosu AC, Mayland CR, Mason SR, Varro A, Ellershaw JE. Patients want to be involved in end-of-life care research. BMJ Support Palliat Care 2013, Dec;3(4):45.
spcare.bmj.com/content/early/201…13-000537.extract
Copyright Dr Amara Nwosu, AmiPal Media 2016.
www.amaranwosu.com
twitter.com/amaranwosu
Music by Bensound
www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music
In this episode of MyPal I discuss the potential uses of virtual reality (VR) in healthcare and what this may mean for palliative care.
Beyond gaming: virtual reality in healthcare. Claire Bower. BMJ Blogs 2014.
blogs.bmj.com/bmj-journals-devel…ity-in-healthcare/
What can Oculus Rift do for healthcare?Mike Miliard. HealthcareIT news 2014.
www.healthcareitnews.com/news/what-ca…o-healthcare
The future of pain relief? Dutch burns unit trialling new virtual reality computer system that distracts patients from the agony of their wounds. Paul Donnelly, Daily Mail 9th Aug 2014.
www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/art…ony-wounds.html
IS VR CHANGING HEALTHCARE?
weareformation.com/is-vr-changing-healthcare/
A Survey of Health-Related Activities on Second Life. Leslie Beard et al. J Med Internet Res. 2009 Apr-Jun; 11(2): e17.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2762804/
Virtual reality for the palliative care of cancer. Oyama 1997
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10175345
Copyright Dr Amara Nwosu, KingAmi Media 2016. www.amaranwosu.com
Music by Purple Planet
www.purple-planet.com
Photo by Jordi Boixareu
www.flickr.com/photos/jobopa/166…ycL-49wC8u-4HYWqe
In this episode I discuss social media and palliative medicine. I focus on my recent blog that was published on the EAPC website about my study about the use of Twitter to evaluate communication about palliative care on social media.
‘Social media and palliative medicine: a retrospective 2-year analysis of global Twitter data to evaluate the use of technology to communicate about issues at the end of life’ by Nwosu AC, Debattista M, Rooney C, et al published in BMJ supportive & palliative care2015;5(2):207-12.
spcare.bmj.com/content/5/2/207
EAPC Blog – Social media and palliative medicine: An opportunity for community and professional engagement
eapcnet.wordpress.com/2015/08/17/soc…al-engagement/
EAPC Blog: With great power comes great responsibility: Using Facebook to explain palliative care – Dr Leeroy William
eapcnet.wordpress.com/2015/08/12/wit…lliative-care/
Palliative Medicine Teaching – Facebook and Twitter
www.facebook.com/PallMedEd
twitter.com/PallMedEd
E-Hospice: Discussion of palliative care on Twitter is largely positive, and increasing – Dr A Nwosu
www.ehospice.com/uk/Default/tabid…ArticleId/12212/
E-Hospice: Harnessing social media to enhance hospice care
www.ehospice.com/uk/Default/tabid…ArticleId/11617/
E-Hospice: Social media and palliative care
www.ehospice.com/uk/Default/tabid…ArticleId/10009/
Symplur and the Heathcare Hashtag project – Dr Mark Taubert
blogs.bmj.com/spcare/2015/08/16/…pcare_blog_sidetab
Palliative social media – Mark Taubert et al
spcare.bmj.com/content/4/1/13.ab…943e-bce5b3763321
Why don’t end-of-life conversations go viral? A review of videos on YouTube. Imogen Mitchell et al
spcare.bmj.com/content/early/201…be1a-bcbfa3a40024
Copyright Dr Amara Nwosu, KingAmi Media 2015.
www.amaranwosu.com
Music by Bensound
www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music
I provide an overview of my PhD research “The use of bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) to assess hydration in patients with advanced cancer in a specialist palliative care inpatient unit”. This study won the 2014 Twycross Research prize of the Association of Palliative Medicine.
National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Conference prize winning abstract presented in 2014:
conference.ncri.org.uk/abstracts/201…cts/A222.html
Information about Early Career Researcher Award of the European Association of Palliative Care (EAPC)
www.eapc-2015.org/Early_Researcher_Award.html
Nwosu AC, Mayland CR, Mason S, Khodabukus AF, Varro A, Ellershaw JE. Hydration in advanced cancer: can bioelectrical impedance analysis improve the evidence base? A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 2013; 46(3):433-446.e6
www.jpsmjournal.com/article/S0885-3…0499-X/abstract
Nwosu AC, Mayland CR, Mason SR, Varro A, Ellershaw JE. Patients want to be involved in end-of-life care research. BMJ Support Palliat Care 2013, Dec;3(4):45.
spcare.bmj.com/content/early/201…13-000537.extract
Copyright Dr Amara Nwosu, KingAmi media 2014.www.amaranwosu.com
Music by ‘Year of the Fiery Horse’ (YOTFH). Soundcloud link: @year-of-the-fiery-horse
The death of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle? The Lion King and Palliative Care? Changing the direction a river flows? Intrigued? Well listen on!
In this episode Dr Amara Nwosu asks the question “what is culture?” and asks how a society’s culture can affect how Palliative Care is considered and delivered. Can we change and create a culture where death and dying are not considered taboo subjects? This is from a UK perspective but hopefully it will be of interest.
Topics covered in this podcast:
Barbara Gomes – end of life intelligence network – what we know now:www.endoflifecare-intelligence.org.uk/resour…w_2013
Andy Couch – Culture Making
setsnservice.wordpress.com/2008/10/27/…05-culture/
Dr Atul Gawande – 2014 BBC Reith Lectures
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/article…014-reith-lectures
Dr Atul Gawande – Being Mortal
www.amazon.co.uk/Being-Mortal-Med…rs/dp/0805095152
The death of Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
www.techtimes.com/articles/40753/2…ed-in-action.htm
Story of the dragonfly
www.achildofmine.org.uk/The-story-of-…gonfly/I8.htm
Copyright Dr Amara Nwosu, KingAmi media 2014.www.amaranwosu.com
Music by ‘Year of the Fiery Horse’ (YOTFH). Soundcloud link: @year-of-the-fiery-horse
I interview Dr Daniel Monnery (Speciality trainee registrar in Palliative Medicine in the Mersey Deanery) to discuss a variety of topics including: postgraduate training in palliative medicine, medical handover, undergraduate medical education and its relevance to palliative care.
Copyright Dr Amara Nwosu, KingAmi media 2014. www.amaranwosu.com
Music by ‘Year of the Fiery Horse’ (YOTFH). Soundcloud link: @year-of-the-fiery-horse
Dr Amara Nwosu discusses his paper about peer-led learning as a mechanism to facilitate palliative care education in medical undergraduates.
Nwosu A, Mason S, Roberts A, Hugel H. Does peer-led education have a role in teaching medical students about palliative care? The evaluation of an examination question-writing task. The Clinical Teacher 2013;10(3):151-4
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23656675
Copyright Dr Amara Nwosu, KingAmi media 2014. http://www.amaranwosu.com
Music by ‘Year of the Fiery Horse’ (YOTFH). Soundcloud link: https://soundcloud.com/year-of-the-fiery-horse
Amara Nwosu 