Please join us for our next lunchtime talk.

9th April 2014
Matt Gieve and David Drabble
The evaluation of Shift.ms, and online social network for people with multiple sclerosis.

With increasing pressures on our health service to provide modern care tailored to patients’ needs, policy makers and members of the medical profession are showing a growing interest in online resources and the value they can add to the treatment and management of chronic health problems.

In 2013 The Tavistock institute was commissioned to undertake a service evaluation of Shift.ms, an online social network and charity for younger people with MS. In this talk David and Matt, the two researchers who worked on the project, will talk through the research, drawing out some lessons and thoughts from the project. They will introduce: the charity itself, why it was set up and how it works; the evaluation, the methods adopted, and the questions asked; and the findings, and how these were arrived at.

This will lay the foundations for a wider discussion of the implications of this research. They will ask what is the nature of online health communities and how do they differ from other kinds of community. How does one create a community and what determines its character? What are the priorities of the medical profession and where does quality of life sit within this? And what role does feelingunderstood play in the experience of people with long-term health conditions?

You can read about the work we have been doing with Shift.ms here.

David Drabble and Matt Gieve are both Researcher/ Consultants at the Tavistock Institute working predominantly on evaluations. Their work covers a wide range of research topics including: online patient feedback, the costs and benefits of possible measures on paternity and filial leave; young people’s mental health, family separation, and relationship support. As social scientists they use sociological and psychological perspectives to understand their research topics.

If you would like to attend this talk please send an email to talks@tavinstitute.org with your name, the talk date and title.

Every third Wednesday at the Tavistock Institute, staff, associates, trustees and partners have come together for these informal talks. Now as we enter the sixth year of talks we are looking to widen this community and to explore the possibilities for development and new thought through engaging with a wider audience.

You are welcome to bring your own lunch.

For more information on upcoming and previous talks, how to book or get more involved go to the dedicated Food for Thought webpages.