This Executive Digest was the output from a Digital Health Uptake project webinar to explore the role of digital health technologies for people living with chronic diseases, with a particular focus on diabetes, the evidence frameworks that create the conditions for market acceptance of digital medical devices, and the most appropriate approach to evidence generation from the viewpoint of various stakeholders. < Return to resources DHU Executive Digest Reilly, Grant This Executive Digest was the output from a Digital Health Uptake project webinar to explore the role of digital health technologies for people living with chronic diseases, with a particular focus on diabetes, the evidence frameworks that create the conditions for market acceptance of digital medical devices, and the most appropriate approach to evidence generation from the viewpoint of various stakeholders. View resource Previous item Next item DHU Executive Digest Report 2024 Start Now

Midlothian Health and Social Care Partnership (MHSCP) received Scottish Government TEC Pathfinder funding to explore how digital technology can innovate the frailty care system in Midlothian. Partnering with DHI, MHSCP uses design-led approaches to engage citizens, clinical and service stakeholders, and key partners like the British Red Cross and VOCAL. < Return to projects Midlothian HSCP TEC Pathfinder - Innovating in the Frailty System Project impact Development of a non-functional prototype to improve the experience of people living with frailty (family, carers and staff) Potential use of the non-functional prototype to develop a live prototype and services trial Midlothian Health and Social Care Partnership (MHSCP) received Scottish Government TEC Pathfinder funding to explore how digital technology can innovate the frailty care system in Midlothian. Partnering with DHI, MHSCP uses design-led approaches to engage citizens, clinical and service stakeholders, and key partners like the British Red Cross and VOCAL. The project began in 2019 and follows the Scottish Approach to Service Design (SAtSD). In applying this, this enables us to start with a ‘blank canvas’ to develop, without boundaries or preconceptions, what the best approach would be to redesign for frailty services, identifying some key barriers and potential solutions. There were a number of stages to the project: Stage 1 of the project ‘Discover and Define’ was completed in 2020 which gained insight into the challenges for citizens and helped define some of the barriers and areas of focus for the next stage of the project. Stage 2, the ‘develop and deliver’, started to design the solution using a combination of technology and service development. Through this stage, it was agreed that innovation was required to improve the early assessment process and reduce the need to repeat the same information to different services as the citizen progresses through the care pathway. Summary To improve the experience of those living with frailty for the person, their family, carers and staff, through the development of safe, reliable systems and pathways of care processes, breaking down the barriers between organisations. Impact & value Stage 3 was completed in 2023 which produced a non-functional prototype (non-functioning software that is a realistic user interface that shows the person’s journey through the digital service). This is a non-functional prototype of British Red Cross frailty assessment that can connect with VOCAL systems fed by a personal data store. It would in practice enable citizens to tell their story once at the point of an improved frailty assessment, add to the information and share this with the different interested services and staff and caregivers. Potential use of the non-functional prototype to develop a live prototype and services trial. Progress to date Next steps Partners Project staff Resources Read our findings from Year 1 Previous project Projects index page Next project

Chris MalarkeyFinance Officer < Return to team Chris Malarkey Finance Officer Chris joined DHI as Finance Officer and has responsibility for the development, monitoring and reporting of the Digital Health and Care Innovation Centre’s 5-year core budget. Prior to DHI, Chris worked for The Bumblebee Conservation Trust while studying for a Master’s Degree in Business and Administration. This helped spark his keen interest in all things accountancy and finance as he hopes to pursue a chartered accountancy qualification. He has contributed to several different areas within the DHI, including leading the financial management of a growing portfolio of additionally funded projects and the development and improvement of DHI’s financial process’ to ensure robust levels of governance and audit. Chris has a keen interest in psychology and music with his honours Degree in Audio Engineering and background volunteering in educational environments and music charities. Email LinkedIn Related Projects Next team member Previous team page Team page

Digital Empathy employed a participatory design approach to investigate the role of empathy within the emergent and future models of digital healthcare services, such as Video Conferencing (VC) consultations. The project had a particular focus on delivering care for people living with long-term conditions, e.g., diabetes. Several factors have an impact on empathy, such as patient pre-conceptions and other individual characteristics, the corresponding behaviours and beliefs of the clinician, and the setting of the consultation. The aim of the Experience Labs was to explore whether people’s perception of empathy changes in a digital context, and to identify factors that are deemed important to empathic VC consultation. The project was carried out in collaboration with the University of the Highlands and Islands. Two Experience Labs were held across three locations in the North of Scotland between February and June 2016. This report presents the findings from Lab activities. < Return to resources Digital Empathy: Role of Empathy in Digital Health Interactions Raman, Sneha and Blom, Jeroen and Bradley, Jay Digital Empathy employed a participatory design approach to investigate the role of empathy within the emergent and future models of digital healthcare services, such as Video Conferencing (VC) consultations. The project had a particular focus on delivering care for people living with long-term conditions, e.g., diabetes. Several factors have an impact on empathy, such as patient pre-conceptions and other individual characteristics, the corresponding behaviours and beliefs of the clinician, and the setting of the consultation. The aim of the Experience Labs was to explore whether people’s perception of empathy changes in a digital context, and to identify factors that are deemed important to empathic VC consultation. The project was carried out in collaboration with the University of the Highlands and Islands. Two Experience Labs were held across three locations in the North of Scotland between February and June 2016. This report presents the findings from Lab activities. View resource Previous item Next item Digital Empathy: Role of Empathy in Digital Health Interactions Report 2016 Start Now

This report examines international strategies to support effective self-isolation and incentivize compliance during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in May 2020. < Return to resources Global Examples of Methods and Tools for Supporting and Incentivising Self-Isolation at Home Thomas, J., Rimpiläinen, S. & Morrison, C. This report examines international strategies to support effective self-isolation and incentivize compliance during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in May 2020. View resource Previous item Next item Global Examples of Methods and Tools for Supporting and Incentivising Self-Isolation at Home Report 2020 Start Now

Dr Abigail LyonsSenior Business Innovation Manager < Return to team Dr Abigail Lyons Senior Business Innovation Manager Dr Abigail Lyons leads on Industry engagement. She helps companies advance the market readiness of their digital health products & services, connecting them with the right support for their stage of development. She also leads a women’s health theme, with a focus on cardiovascular health data. Abby qualified in Immunology and Molecular Biology and her subsequent career has woven through the triple helix of industry, academia and the public sector in Scotland and the US. She worked as a postdoc researcher at the Mayo Clinic and a product development scientist in the Cardiac Surgery division of Medtronic in Minnesota. More recently, she was a programme manager at Scottish Enterprise where she managed complex multi-partner initiatives across a range of sectors and led collaborative teams to commercialise customer-centric technologies and spin-out investor-ready companies. Email LinkedIn Related Projects Next team member Previous team page Team page

Olivia DunbarEvents, Marketing & PR Assistant < Return to team Olivia Dunbar Events, Marketing & PR Assistant Olivia is our Marketing, PR, and Events Assistant at DHI, where she plays a pivotal role in delivering key events and marketing initiatives. With a focus on the #DigiInventors Challenge, Olivia leads the day-to-day development and execution of this flagship programme, ensuring its success across Scotland and internationally. Olivia's responsibilities extend to overseeing the logistics and promotion of various DHI events, both in-person and online. She provides essential support in public relations, social media management, and marketing communications, working closely with the Head of Communications and Marketing to maintain DHI's public-facing activities. Her background includes a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Advertising and Public Relations from the City of Glasgow College, equipping her with a robust foundation in marketing and communication. Email LinkedIn Related Projects Next team member Previous team page Team page

An immersive learning project exploring how XR can support suicide-prevention responses while strengthening workforce mental health and resilience. < Return to projects SAFXR: Safety Planning for Suicide Prevention XR Project impact SAFXR strengthens confidence, consistency and compassion in responses to suicidal distress through safe, immersive XR rehearsal. It combines evidence-informed safety planning with scenario-based learning to support responder capability and workforce wellbeing. If successful, SAFXR could inform future suicide-prevention training across health, social care, education, emergency and community settings. An immersive learning project exploring how XR can support suicide-prevention responses while strengthening workforce mental health and resilience. SAFXR (Safety Planning for Suicide Prevention XR) is a collaborative project led by Care Reality in partnership with NHS Education for Scotland, the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre, and the University of Glasgow. The project explores how immersive, scenario-based learning can support professionals responding to people experiencing suicidal thoughts, while also supporting their own mental health and resilience. SAFXR is currently in active co-design, with people with lived experience, frontline practitioners and mental health specialists shaping the learning content, scenarios and emotional safety considerations. Summary Responding to someone who may be experiencing suicidal thoughts is one of the most challenging situations many professionals will encounter in their work. These conversations are complex, emotionally demanding and often take place with little opportunity to practise or reflect in advance. SAFXR explores how immersive, scenario-based learning could help address this gap. By creating realistic XR experiences, the project aims to provide a safe space for professionals to rehearse responses, build confidence in safety-planning approaches and navigate uncertainty without real-world risk. The project also recognises the impact this work can have on those providing support. Workforce mental health and resilience are central considerations, with the learning experience designed to encourage reflection rather than assessment. Co-design sits at the heart of SAFXR. People with lived experience, alongside practitioners and mental health specialists, are shaping the content and emotional tone of the scenarios to ensure the learning feels authentic, respectful and grounded in real practice. Aligned with Scotland’s Creating Hope Together strategy and supported through Innovate UK funding, SAFXR aims to contribute to responsible and ethical approaches to suicide-prevention education. Impact & value Development of SAFXR began in July 2025 and the project is currently in its co-design phase. So far, work has focused on understanding the real-world contexts in which suicide-prevention conversations take place, and how these can be represented safely and meaningfully in an immersive environment. Co-design sessions have brought together lived experience contributors, practitioners and researchers to explore what good, supportive learning should feel like — not just what it should teach. This phase has included early scenario storyboarding, user-experience planning and careful consideration of emotional safety and trauma-informed design. Insights from research and practice are being used to guide decisions about narrative structure, pacing and interaction. At the same time, the partners are exploring how Care Reality’s FLO XR platform can best support these aims, ensuring that technical development remains led by learning, ethical and user needs. Progress to date The next stage of SAFXR will focus on moving from design into early testing. Initial testing of prototype scenarios is planned for 2026, including activity within the University of Glasgow’s ARC XR Lab. This will help explore usability, emotional safety and how the learning experience is received by users. Learning from this phase will inform further refinement of the scenarios and supporting materials. Subject to progress, wider evaluation across different sectors is anticipated as the project continues to develop. Further updates will be shared as SAFXR progresses, with collaboration between partners and contributors remaining central to shaping the project’s direction. Next steps Partners Project staff Resources Previous project Projects index page Next project

Long-term conditions in Scotland, which include diseases like asthma and COPD, contribute significantly to healthcare utilization and mortality rates. Asthma, characterized by variable symptoms and airflow limitation, lacks a precise understanding of its triggers. This paper proposes using open-source datasets and machine learning to estimate asthma hospitalization rates with a high level of accuracy, aiding in predictive modelling with an 86.67% success rate. < Return to resources Open-source Data Analysis and Machine Learning for Asthma Hospitalisation Rates Chute, Chaloner and Rooney, Laura and Buchanan, Bill and Smales, Adrian and Hepburn, Leigh Anne Long-term conditions in Scotland, which include diseases like asthma and COPD, contribute significantly to healthcare utilization and mortality rates. Asthma, characterized by variable symptoms and airflow limitation, lacks a precise understanding of its triggers. This paper proposes using open-source datasets and machine learning to estimate asthma hospitalization rates with a high level of accuracy, aiding in predictive modelling with an 86.67% success rate. View resource Previous item Next item Open-source Data Analysis and Machine Learning for Asthma Hospitalisation Rates Article 2018 Start Now

The Rural Centre of Excellence (RCE) in Moray, a pivotal Moray Growth Deal project, boasts cutting-edge facilities and cloud infrastructure supported by a £5 million UK Government investment. Aligned with the digital health and care agenda, the RCE aims to revitalize health services and spur economic recovery in Moray through research and innovation. This report provides an overview of education and training offerings in Moray pertinent to the digital health and care sector. < Return to resources Digital Health and Care Education and Training Provision in Moray Thomas, J., Rimpiläinen, S. The Rural Centre of Excellence (RCE) in Moray, a pivotal Moray Growth Deal project, boasts cutting-edge facilities and cloud infrastructure supported by a £5 million UK Government investment. Aligned with the digital health and care agenda, the RCE aims to revitalize health services and spur economic recovery in Moray through research and innovation. This report provides an overview of education and training offerings in Moray pertinent to the digital health and care sector. View resource Previous item Next item Digital Health and Care Education and Training Provision in Moray Report 2023 Start Now

The Dudes project explored young people’s experiences of living with diabetes and how they would like to be supported in self-management using digital resources. In the early stages of development, Dudes is an interactive online education site for young people living with type 1 diabetes, situated within My Diabetes My Way. Dudes aims to support young people aged 17-25 years to understand self-management for their lifestyle and has been developed by a collaborative team from Edinburgh Napier University, NHS Lothian and the University of Dundee. It was accepted by the DHI as part of an integrated ‘Digital Diabetes’ programme of projects seeking to develop digital resources to support self-management. < Return to resources Digital Diabetes Dudes Teal, Gemma and Thorup, Tine and Baillie, Jen and Johnson, Michael The Dudes project explored young people’s experiences of living with diabetes and how they would like to be supported in self-management using digital resources. In the early stages of development, Dudes is an interactive online education site for young people living with type 1 diabetes, situated within My Diabetes My Way. Dudes aims to support young people aged 17-25 years to understand self-management for their lifestyle and has been developed by a collaborative team from Edinburgh Napier University, NHS Lothian and the University of Dundee. It was accepted by the DHI as part of an integrated ‘Digital Diabetes’ programme of projects seeking to develop digital resources to support self-management. View resource Previous item Next item Digital Diabetes Dudes Report 2018 Start Now

Formal report on the DHI's Clinical Decision Support Systems projects in 2016. < Return to resources The Digital Health and Care Institute CDSS-related projects and abstracts Rimpiläinen, Sanna Formal report on the DHI's Clinical Decision Support Systems projects in 2016. View resource Previous item Next item The Digital Health and Care Institute CDSS-related projects and abstracts Report 2016 Start Now

In early 2022, the Government Digital Mental Health programme board provided feedback on a report emphasising further exploration of four innovation areas: Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Gamification, and Digital Phenotyping. This report delves into key organisations, leading countries, case studies, research literature, and significant findings within these emerging innovations through desktop research conducted via standard online search engines. It should be noted that the research methodology is limited to English-language publications, which may impact search results. < Return to resources Emerging Innovations in Digital Mental Health: A Deeper Dive Morrison, C. In early 2022, the Government Digital Mental Health programme board provided feedback on a report emphasising further exploration of four innovation areas: Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Gamification, and Digital Phenotyping. This report delves into key organisations, leading countries, case studies, research literature, and significant findings within these emerging innovations through desktop research conducted via standard online search engines. It should be noted that the research methodology is limited to English-language publications, which may impact search results. View resource Previous item Next item Emerging Innovations in Digital Mental Health: A Deeper Dive Report 2022 Start Now

In 2008-2009, the Scottish Government initiated the "Shift the Balance of Care" policy, advocating for a transition of care from hospitals to community settings for more sustainable outcomes. This policy aimed to integrate health and social care services around the citizen, emphasizing a multi-disciplinary community care model. Further, the Chief Medical Officers' Annual Report in 2017 urged the adoption of predictive and proportionate care models, emphasizing citizen co-management and joint decision-making, departing from a paternalistic medical approach. < Return to resources Introduction to the Demonstration & Simulation Environment (DSE) Chute, Chaloner In 2008-2009, the Scottish Government initiated the "Shift the Balance of Care" policy, advocating for a transition of care from hospitals to community settings for more sustainable outcomes. This policy aimed to integrate health and social care services around the citizen, emphasizing a multi-disciplinary community care model. Further, the Chief Medical Officers' Annual Report in 2017 urged the adoption of predictive and proportionate care models, emphasizing citizen co-management and joint decision-making, departing from a paternalistic medical approach. View resource Previous item Next item Introduction to the Demonstration & Simulation Environment (DSE) Blog post 2018 Start Now

This research reports looks at examples of computable medical records around the world in 2016. Computable records are set to drive the evolution of Electronic Health Records (EHRs), aiming for interoperability, portability, and comprehensive health data. These records, readable by humans and machines, will contain a patient's entire medical history and declare their fidelity level, ensuring users can assess completeness and accuracy. Unique and ideally open-source, these records will support a health status scoring system and facilitate adoption across various stakeholders. < Return to resources Computable Records: The Next Generation of the EMR Conversation Rimpiläinen, Sanna This research reports looks at examples of computable medical records around the world in 2016. Computable records are set to drive the evolution of Electronic Health Records (EHRs), aiming for interoperability, portability, and comprehensive health data. These records, readable by humans and machines, will contain a patient's entire medical history and declare their fidelity level, ensuring users can assess completeness and accuracy. Unique and ideally open-source, these records will support a health status scoring system and facilitate adoption across various stakeholders. View resource Previous item Next item Computable Records: The Next Generation of the EMR Conversation Report 2015 Start Now

Shirley SharpOffice Manager & Personal Assistant to the CEO < Return to team Shirley Sharp Office Manager & Personal Assistant to the CEO Shirley provides comprehensive office management and professional PA/ administrative services to our Chair and CEO. She contributes to the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the DHI, ensuring that all duties are carried out with the appropriate degree of tact, confidentiality and responsibility. Shirley has over 30 years’ experience working within the Public sector, most of this with frontline services within the NHS, providing effective and efficient support to Chief Executives and Senior Directors with operational responsibility across the acute secondary care sector. Email LinkedIn Related Projects Next team member Previous team page Team page

Kelly WalkerProject Support Officer < Return to team Kelly Walker Project Support Officer Kelly is the Project Support Officer for Digital Lifelines Scotland and works for Programme Management Services within NHS National Services Scotland. Digital Lifelines Scotland is a programme supported by the Digital Health and Care Directorate within the Scottish Government and managed by DHI. She has worked in project management for 7 years and has a vast array of experience of national initiatives within the public sector. Email LinkedIn Related Projects Next team member Previous team page Team page

For healthcare innovations to be successful, the voices of those receiving or delivering such innovations need to be heard much earlier in the design process. This is not easy as there are likely to be multiple stakeholders involved, and their different backgrounds make it difficult to challenge or evaluate potential innovation in the early stage of development. This paper positions the Experience Lab as a means of co-creating sustainable, innovative solutions to healthcare challenges. The Experience Lab offers participants, both receiving and delivering healthcare, the opportunity to engage in the design process, share insights, experience new concepts, and imagine new ways of responding to challenges. The material artefacts and bespoke tools provide the conditions through which to create new meanings and shared experiences. This paper presents the Experience Lab approach, artefacts, and tools, providing examples of these in context. < Return to resources Experience Labs: Co-creating Health and Care Innovations using Design Tools and Artefacts French, Tara and Teal, Gemma and Raman, Sneha For healthcare innovations to be successful, the voices of those receiving or delivering such innovations need to be heard much earlier in the design process. This is not easy as there are likely to be multiple stakeholders involved, and their different backgrounds make it difficult to challenge or evaluate potential innovation in the early stage of development. This paper positions the Experience Lab as a means of co-creating sustainable, innovative solutions to healthcare challenges. The Experience Lab offers participants, both receiving and delivering healthcare, the opportunity to engage in the design process, share insights, experience new concepts, and imagine new ways of responding to challenges. The material artefacts and bespoke tools provide the conditions through which to create new meanings and shared experiences. This paper presents the Experience Lab approach, artefacts, and tools, providing examples of these in context. View resource Previous item Next item Experience Labs: Co-creating Health and Care Innovations using Design Tools and Artefacts Paper 2016 Start Now

Professor George Crooks OBEChief Executive Officer < Return to team Professor George Crooks OBE Chief Executive Officer Professor George Crooks is currently the Chief Executive of the Digital Health and Care Innovation Centre, Scotland’s national innovation centre for digital health and care. He leads an organisation that is tasked with delivering innovation in digital health and care that will help Scotland’s people to live longer, healthier lives, deliver sustainable health and care services for the future and create economic benefits for Scotland. He was previously the Medical Director for NHS 24, the Scottish Ambulance Service and Director of the Scottish Centre for Telehealth & Telecare. George was a General Medical Practitioner for 23 years in Aberdeen latterly combining that role as Director of Primary Care for Grampian. George is on the Board of the European Connected Health Alliance and is a past president of the European Health Telematics Association. He was an assessor for the European Commission on programmes involving digital health and care provision, led the Integrated Care Action Group in the European Innovation Partnership for Active and Healthy Ageing and is a member of the WHO roster of experts for digital health. He has been an advisor to several European governments and global organisations including the World Bank on digital health and care. He is an advisor to Innovate UK for its Industrial Grand Challenge programme for Health Ageing. He is also an adjunct Professor of Telehealth at the University of Southern Denmark. He was awarded an OBE in the Queen's New Year Honours List 2011 for services to healthcare. Email LinkedIn Related Projects Next team member Previous team page Team page