[Air-L] Funded PhD Health decision making and social media

[Liz Sillence]

Funded PhD studentship at Northumbria University
 
 
"Understanding the impact of gathering, tracking and
exchanging information via social media on health decision making (advert
reference: HLS/DRFPSSR7/53455)"
 
Deadline March 31st 2014
 
The Internet is well established as a major source of
health information, but both the source and the nature of e-health content is
changing rapidly. Patients are increasingly the first source of information and
advice for other patients in a new peer-to-peer process in which patients are
turning to others like themselves for advice and support and where detailed
patient experiences (PEx) are offered online and used to inform health
decisions. In addition patients are increasingly ‘life logging’ - tracking and
monitoring information about their own health, for example, objective data on
weight, blood pressure and treatment response, alongside subjective reports of
mood and anxiety. Whilst some sites encourage people to share this information
(see for example Patients Like Me) little is known about the ways in which
people combine all this information and use it to better understand their own
condition and importantly make decisions about their health and wellbeing.
 
Using a mixed method approach and different patient
groups (segmented around, type and stage of disease, level of active
management, age and gender) this programme of research aims to understand how
the gathering, tracking and exchanging of information and experiences via
mobile applications and social media influences health decision making. The
project will explore the following questions:
• How does increased awareness and monitoring of health
variables affect peoples’ attitudes towards their health condition and sense of
wellbeing?
• How are different sources of information
(self-collected, GP provided and peer-to-peer) integrated over the longer term?
• What are the pathways by which this type of information
influences decision making?
• Finally, given the choice agenda within the NHS - ‘no
decision about me without me’, how do people want to be able to share, view and
monitor their health as a way of enhancing their input to the decision making
process.
 
Enquiries regarding this studentship should be made to Dr
Liz Sillence: elizabeth.sillence at northumbria.ac.uk
 
Applicants should hold a first or upper second class
honours degree (in a relevant subject) from a UK higher education institution,
or equivalent. Students who are not UK/EU residents are eligible to apply,
provided they hold the relevant academic qualifications, together with an IELTS
score of at least 6.5.
 
To apply, contact Paul Agnew to request the appropriate
application form, quoting the advert reference above, via email to hl.pgradmin at northumbria.ac.uk 
 
or by using the application link on the findaphd page http://www.findaphd.com/search/ProjectDetails.aspx?PJID=53455