Initial evaluation of a technologyenabled change in delivery of the dementia service during COVID-19 in North Warwickshire.

BACKGROUND: Remote monitoring technologies show potential to help health professionals deliver preventative interventions which can avoid hospital admissions and allow patients to remain in a home setting. AIMS: To assess whether an Internet of Things (IoT) driven remote monitoring technology, used in the care pathway of community dementia patients in North Warwickshire improved access to care for patients and cost effectiveness. METHOD: Patient level changes to anonymised retrospective healthcare utilisation data were analysed alongside costs. RESULTS: Urgent care decreased following use of an IoT driven remote monitoring technology; one preventative intervention avoided an average of three urgent interventions. A Chi-Square test showing this change as significant. Estimates show annualised service activity avoidance of £201,583 for the cohort; £8764 per patient. CONCLUSIONS: IoT driven remote monitoring had a positive impact on health utilisation and cost avoidance. Future expansion of the cohort will allow for validation of the results and consider the impact of the technology on patient health outcomes and staff workflows.

Qualitative exploration of digital chatbot use in medical education: A pilot study.

PURPOSE: During the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, face-to-face teaching has been severely disrupted and limited for medical students internationally. This study explores the views of medical students and academic medical staff regarding the suitability and limitations, of a bespoke chatbot tool to support medical education. METHODS: Five focus groups, with a total of 16 participants, were recruited using a convenience sample. The participants included medical students across all year groups and academic staff. The pre-determined focus group topic guide explored how chatbots can augment existing teaching practices. A thematic analysis was conducted using the transcripts to determine key themes. RESULTS: Thematic analysis identified five main themes: (1) chatbot use as a clinical simulation tool; (2) chatbot use as a revision tool; (3) differential usefulness by medical school year group; (4) standardisation of education and assessment; (5) challenges of use and implementation. CONCLUSIONS: Both staff and students have clear benefits from using chatbots in medical education. However, they documented possible limitations to their use. The creation of chatbots to support the medical curriculum should be further explored and urgently evaluated to assess their impact on medical students training both during and after the global pandemic.