Author: Manokamna Singh, PhD Researcher at Maynooth University’s Department of Psychology, Research Funded through the Science Foundation of Ireland (SFI) Centre for Research Training in Advanced Networks for Sustainable Societies(ADVANCE CRT)
Decision-making is a crucial part of human life. Human beings take decisions and make choices on a daily basis to drive their social life. The decisions made produce an impact on the family and shape the future of society. The reasoning behind the decisions can be implicit and explicit attitudes. Implicit attitudes are evaluations that occur without deliberate or unconscious thought. The primary factors which shape the implicit attitudes are past experiences, cultural norms, and social influences. Explicit attitudes are conscious evaluations that everyone can articulate and are aware of holding. This attitude is a reflection of the beliefs and ideals that people consciously support. Unconscious bias is also commonly referred to as implicit bias, as noted by Lopez (2018). The term was first coined in 1995 by Mazarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald in their article on implicit social cognition. The two psychologists argued that social behavior was significantly affected by unconscious associations and judgments.
Author: Matthew McKenna, PhD Researcher at Maynooth University’s Assisting Living and Learning (ALL) Institute, Research Funded through the Science Foundation of Ireland (SFI) Centre for Research Training in Advanced Networks for Sustainable Societies(ADVANCE CRT)
In October 2021, MedTec Europe released a white paper in collaboration with the European Coordination Committee of the Radiological, Electromedical and Healthcare IT Industry (COCIR) titled, ‘Interoperability Standards in Digital Health: A White Paper from the Medical Technology Industry’. It defines interoperability in digital healthcare as “the ability of different information systems, devices and applications (systems) to access, exchange, integrate and cooperatively use data in a coordinated manner, within and across organisational, regional and national boundaries, to provide timely and seamless portability of information and optimise the health of individuals and populations globally”. It also underscores the fundamental importance of interoperability, stating that, “Lack of interoperability is widely acknowledged to be a critical barrier for the adoption and deployment of digital health technologies and for the digital transformation of healthcare”. To this end, interoperability in digital healthcare represents an indispensable systems component and critical necessity for the provision of modern healthcare in the European Union (EU).
To date however, the digitalisation of healthcare in the EU has encountered a complex web of bureaucratic, social and legal challenges due to a fragmented digital health technology market and poor inter-agency cooperation resulting from insufficient interoperability between structures and stakeholders on a national and international level. This has greatly slowed the pace at which potential benefits of digital technology can be translated into tangible improvements in healthcare and quality of life for people in the EU. The European Commission (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Commission’) has arguably been slow to take decisive measures to enhance cross-sectoral coordination by reforming regulatory frameworks governing digital healthcare technologies. As such, data sharing, procurement and administration of digital technologies in the care environment has been governed by customary national laws of individual EU member states. Discordant legal rules and standards across the EU limit the ability of businesses developing and marketing digital health technologies such as robots and connected devices and services to operate effectively in the single market. Deficits of strategic cross-sectoral interoperability in the digitalisation of healthcare infrastructure and a lack of interagency communication and cooperation has discernibly contributed to the longevity of traditional, non-digital and wardship models of care provision, particularly for vulnerable individuals including older people and persons with disabilities.
Perhaps understandably, the Commission has approached the emergence of digital health technologies with a significant degree of apparent caution. In the absence of measures to promote wide-scale uniformity in procurement and implementation processes for connected devices and services in the care environment, the cohesive integration of these modern capabilities represents a slow and costly challenge for a siloed and fragmented European healthcare sector. In its approach to digital health technology, the Commission has assumed an unhurried and deliberate process of supporting research initiatives funded through programmes such as Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe. The logical reasoning here is to assess, trial and identify examples of best practice in digitalisation within the care sector through the professional utility and implementation of digital technologies by clinicians and care workers. In this way, a trial-and-error process through practice and research can be established, with the experiences of the carer playing an important role in determining the practical challenges of ensuring effective implementation of digital health technologies in the care environment.
“To date, the uptake of digital solutions for health and care remains slow and varies greatly across Member States and regions. Further action at EU level is crucial to accelerate the meaningful use of digital solutions in public health and healthcare in Europe. In its mid-term review on the implementation of the Digital Single Market (DSM) 2014 – 2019 strategy the Commission set out its intention to take further action in three areas:
citizens’ secure access to their health data, including across borders, enabling citizens to access their health data across the EU;
personalised medicine through shared European data infrastructure, allowing researchers and other professionals to pool resources (data, expertise, computing processing and storage capacities) across the EU;
citizen empowerment with digital tools for user feedback and person-centred care using digital tools to empower people to look after their health, stimulate prevention and enable feedback and interaction between users and healthcare providers” (European Commission, 2018).
In April 2024, the Interoperable Europe Act entered into force in the EU, representing an important step towards the harmonisation of “key” public services as part of the broader Digital Decade strategy. However, extending broader strategic digital interoperability across healthcare systems in the EU arguably requires dedicated and sector-specific legislative overhaul. Interoperable digitalised systems that empower caregiver engagement with stakeholders in policymaking and identification of good practice is necessary to facilitate smooth delivery of high standards in modern care. Digitalised interoperable healthcare systems with seamless transmission of patient health data, alongside appropriately scalable, cost-effective and rapid procurement mechanisms in the implementation of digital technology for effective service provision can maximise the efficiency and expertise of an invaluable care workforce.
Although certain long-anticipated initiatives are underway to harmonise digital healthcare systems in the EU through enhanced interoperability and an easing of some inhibitory regulatory barriers to the smooth functioning of health technology companies in the single market, change is happening at an often-lethargic pace. Unfortunately, this puts an unwelcome delay on the latent potential benefits that could be felt by carers and patients at an individual level given the current state of digitalised technological innovation. Furthermore, carers note that interoperability and scalability challenges often become apparent when trialling digital technologies in the care environment. As such, the involvement of healthcare workers in the creation of policy and best practice for the interoperable digitalisation of the care environment is critically important. Caregiver engagement mechanisms in Commission policymaking and communication with industry represent essential components in the development of digital interoperability frameworks that function smoothly and effectively, delivering versatile person-centred digitalised healthcare at an EU-wide level.
Author: Dr. Opeyemi Kolawole Post-doctoral Researcher, PatentsInHumans Project, ALL Insittute and Department of Law and Crimonology
Research Stream: Social Technologies
Competition law is pivotal in maintaining market equilibrium and safeguarding consumer welfare. In the European Union, competition law principles are enshrined in Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). While Article 101 prohibits the formation and enforcement of agreements that have the object or effect of distorting competition, Article 102 prevents a dominant firm from abusing its dominant market position.
It is hard to believe that the PatentsInHumans Project has passed the one-year point having commenced in November 2022! And what a quick and busy year it was! Alongside recently publishing our Year 1 Report which gave us pause to reflect on the project, we were delighted to write this article for the IDEAS in ALL Blog to mark the first year of the project and to provide a snapshot of the research and other activities the PatentsInHumans team have undertaken during this time.
Author:Emily McConway, Undergraduate Intern in Psychology, Maynooth University and Mac MacLachlan, Professor of Psychology & Social Inclusion, and Co-Director of the ALL Institute, Maynooth University
Early assessment and intervention are vital in facilitating positive developmental and behavioural outcomes for children with neurodevelopmental conditions. Early intervention has a positive long-term effect on both autistic children and their caregivers. The current process of assessing the needs of children with possible autistic traits focuses on the use of behavioural clinical diagnostic instruments such as Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R). Both instruments require direct clinician-to-child observation and can take hours to administer and score. In many countries, long waiting lists, coupled with social, economic and geographic barriers hinders timely assessment of neurodiverse children. The ALL Institute is interested in pragmatic ways to streamline access to services, including assessing a person’s needs for services and supports.
Author: Matthew McKenna, PhD Researcher at Maynooth University’s Assisting Living and Learning (ALL) Institute , Research Funded through the Science Foundation of Ireland (SFI) Centre for Research Training in Advanced Networks for Sustainable Societies (ADVANCE CRT)
Supporting universal and consistent access to Assistive Technology (AT) at third-level education within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Ireland represents a critical milestone to achieving equal opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Author: Priscille Geiser is a consultant in rights-based, disability-inclusive development, and a Research Associate with the ALL Institute’s SHAPES project.
Research Stream: Social Technologies
As I visited my grandparents in the north of France earlier this year, I arrived by train at the nearest station and my grandfather, 96 years old, was to proudly drive me home. As he was not there yet, I sent him a text message, and he arrived shortly after. Yet he told me he had not received the message, because he does not know how to use this function.
Author: Dr Opeyemi Kolawole (Post-doctoral Researcher, PatentInHuman Project)
Dr Opeyemi Kolawole
Medical devices are integral to healthcare service delivery. Patients and healthcare service providers utilise these devices to diagnose, prevent, monitor, alleviate, and restore impaired body functions. Depending on the complexities of these devices and how they are deployed, they can become integrated with the patient’s body, and the patient’s healthy functioning and life may become dependent on the device (for example, an insulin pump or a pacemaker). Yet, like every other device, medical devices are susceptible to wear and tear: embedded software in the device may become obsolete over time, and physical elements may become deficient, making a device unsuitable for the patient’s needs. What options are available to the patient or health service provider in such instances? Should they, or a trusted repairer, be allowed to repair these devices? Patients and hospitals confronted this question at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Author: Joan Alaboson is a Doctoral Researcher in the Department of Psychology, Maynooth University. She has a background in medicine and an MSc in Public Health with broad research interests in non-communicable diseases, particularly mental health, social determinants of health and quality of life.
Joan Alaboson
‘What can be done to make settling into the PhD, better?’ asked Dirk, the Director of the Science Foundation Ireland’s Centre for Research Training in Advance Networks for Sustainable Societies (ADVANCE CRT) at a meeting with funded PhD students. Being the only one in the room that had recently commenced my studies, at that moment I felt there was a deep sense of concern for my well-being by ‘management’. It was the first of such fora I’d attended, and I left with a lasting impression of being in relatable company during my studies.
True inclusion, however, could often be elusive, despite best efforts. There is hardly any organization, entity or group that does not seek to represent the interests of those concerned. It may be expressed in a vision, mission, goals, or activities. Yet, many can be left out. Sometimes, it is a fault inherent in group development, when diverse people are not present to consciously bring unique perspectives to the fore. Similarly, it may result from work protocols or culture that fail to recognize and may neglect, systematically, the views and or needs of diverse people.
Author:Neasa Boyle, PhD Researcher, Assisting Living and Learning (ALL) Institute, Department of Psychology, Maynooth University
Neasa Boyle
It’s impossible to overlook how deeply technology has influenced daily life, employment, and education today. With its growing importance, education systems must adapt to ensure that students are prepared for the modern digital world and obtain the skills to navigate a technologically advanced society. However, such education streams have only been implemented in recent decades, limiting social inclusion for individuals who are out of education, training, or employment. This new demand for digital skills leaves a large proportion of the population with the responsibility of upskilling, or else facing the risk of being left behind in the current job market and, ultimately, being left unable to participate in the society.
