Welcome to SMART 2

This is a joint project with partners from Sheffield Hallam University, University of Sheffield, University of Ulster and University of Bath. The project starts on January 1st 2008 and will be completed in December 2011. It is funded by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council.

The aim of the project is to deepen understanding of the potential for technology in the support of self-management. This will be achieved by creating user-centred designs for technology, resulting in a personalised self-management system, and by carrying out extensive studies with the technology in use.

In the United Kingdom self-management is central to the Government's long term conditions agenda. The research we propose extends existing work by researching some fundamental issues surrounding self-management. These include:

  • How can information on changes in chronic conditions be collated and fed back to users in a meaningful and usable way to help them understand their conditions?
  • How can information, remote from a therapist, be presented to promote health behaviour change?
  • How can a personalised self management system allow people to adjust life goals to accommodate and aid acceptance of their condition?

Users with three common conditions, chronic pain, stroke and congestive heart failure will be involved in all stages of the project. Currently people with these three conditions have limited access to assistance to help them to make the necessary changes to behaviour in order to accommodate their condition, promote continued recovery and/or prevent deterioration.