We are excited to announce that DigiCare4You has been recognised as one of the most impactful projects of 2023 at La Trobe University, selected out of almost 800 research projects. This acknowledgement comes through its inclusion in La Trobe University’s Research Impact Report 2023.
Published annually, the Research Impact Report looks to identify and highlight the impact of the University’s research achieved in the previous year to demonstrate the public benefit of their research, the local, national, and global reach, as well as their contribution to combatting global challenges.
The university’s impact team and Engagement and Impact Steering Committee evaluate projects based on the extent and significance of their impact, ensuring that those selected demonstrate both broad reach and meaningful benefits for their beneficiaries. Selected projects will have showcased that their research was a ‘pathway to impact’ or has provided ‘impact’. ‘Pathways to impact’ means that the activities carried out translate, synthesise or communicate research in ways that are useable by end users and/or other stakeholders which can facilitate the uptake of research which will, in turn, generate impact. Alternatively, projects may also show ‘impact’ where there has been measurable, demonstrable and beneficial change occurring as a result of the research conducted.
The DigiCare4You project was selected due to four primary factors: its clearly defined pathway to impact, the scale of its reach, the potential significance of its impact for patients and caregivers and the expectation that the impact of the project will continue to expand over time.
Of particular note, the Research Impact Report highlighted two articles published in The Lancet by DigiCare4You consortium partners which demonstrated that digital tools can have a positive impact on glycaemic control and blood pressure for adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) or hypertension (HTN). These publications alone demonstrate a clear ‘pathway to impact’ of the DigiCare4You project. In having a broad reach across four European countries, while also developing new innovative digital tools, DigiCare4You has the potential to improve the lives of communities beyond its current reach in the future.
George Moschonis, Professor in the Department of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics at La Trobe University and consortium partner, said, “It’s great that the DigiCare4You project has been recognised by the University in the Research Impact Report 2023. Despite the project being implemented in Europe, DigiCare4You will be assessing the scalability and transferability of the solution, meaning that the results could have positive benefits for the Australian population as well. The first-year results of the project are expected in the coming months and I am looking forward to seeing how the project has, and will continue, to impact the local communities of people living with T2D and HTN and what lessons we can learn for the future in improving the effectiveness of the existing models of care.”
Read the Research Impact Report 2023 here.
Read The Lancet articles here:
- Effectiveness, reach, uptake, and feasibility of digital health interventions for adults with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
- Effectiveness, reach, uptake, and feasibility of digital health interventions for adults with hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials