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Dr John Spreadbury
Senior Research Fellow

Improving care

John is a senior research fellow within the NIHR ARC Wessex, Ageing and Dementia Theme, based in the Faculty of Medicine at University Hospital Southampton.

John’s research interests include digital health technology in the context of long-term neurological conditions and neurodegenerative diseases, young-onset dementia care and psychosocial experiences, and psychosocial measurement including quality of life, mental health, and caregiver burden.

He has experience in qualitative and mixed methods research.  John is presently involved in research investigating user experiences of digital health technology and the My Medical Record platform.

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recent publications:

A Comprehensive Literature Search of Digital Health Technology Use in Neurological Conditions: Review of Digital Tools to Promote Self-management and Support
Spreadbury JH, Young A and Kipps CM
The use of digital health technology to promote and deliver postdiagnostic care in neurological conditions is becoming increasingly common. However, the range of digital tools available across different neurological conditions and how they facilitate self-management are unclear.
Quality of Life Assessments in Individuals With Young-Onset Dementia and Their Caregivers
Dixit D, Spreadbury J, Orlando R, Hayward E and Kipps C
Quality of life (QoL) has seldom been investigated or explicitly measured in young-onset dementia (YoD). The aims of this study were (1) to investigate and compare QoL self- and proxy reports in a sample of YoD patients and caregivers using different conceptual assessments of QoL and (2) to examine the relationship between caregiver QoL and both burden and mental health.
Clinical nurse specialist's role in young-onset dementia care
Spreadbury JH and Kipps CM
Post-diagnostic care in young-onset dementia (YoD) varies, from something that is occasionally structured, to improvised, to frequently non-existent depending on geographic region. In a few regions in England, a nurse designated to helping families may exist. This study aimed to describe this seldom-observed nursing role and its content. It used an investigative qualitative case study design based on the analysis of two YoD clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) describing the work they did in providing post-diagnostic care to YoD service users. The CNSs address various areas affected by mid-life dementia, including patients' mental health, caregiver stress and families' psycho-social problems. They use various approaches in delivering care, including making home visits, acting as a personal contact for service users and liaising with other health and social care services. Desirable attributes of a CNS service include service users having access to the same CNS throughout their care, receiving timely care and experiencing longer-term support and reassurance. In the post-diagnostic period, service user needs are often more psycho-social than medical, and the CNS role can complement and add value to clinical appointments. The role allows service users to be managed in the community, to receive information, guidance and advice and can prevent and de-escalate problems.
Imaging Care Requirements: Use of Functional Neuroimaging to Predict Dementia Caregiver Burden
Prosser AMJ, Spreadbury JH, Tossici-Bolt L and Kipps CM
Dementia caregivers frequently report high stress, with increased burden associated with worse outcomes for both patients and caregivers. Although many studies relate clinical phenotypes to burden, the relationship between imaging pathology and burden, irrespective of diagnosis, is unknown. This study investigated the relationship between caregiver burden and patient regional cerebral blood flow in dementia.
The Causes and Impact of Crisis for People with Parkinson's Disease: A Patient and Carer Perspective
Fearn S, Bartolomeu Pires S, Agarwal V, Roberts HC, Spreadbury J and Kipps C
The reasons for acute hospital admissions among people with Parkinson's disease are well documented. However, understanding of crises that are managed in the community is comparatively lacking. Most existing literature on the causes of crisis for people with Parkinson's disease (PwP) uses hospital data and excludes the individual's own perspective on the crisis trigger and the impact of the crisis on their care needs.

 

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