Make Every Contact Count (MECC) Digital

An integrated digital platform supporting brief interventions in healthcare.

Overview

Partners: RCSI, NCAD, UCD, TU , Frontend  

Funding: Government of Ireland Sláintecare Integration Fund, HSE 

Overview

MECC Digital is designed to support implementation of the Making Every Contact Count programme and help healthcare professionals have and record brief health conversations with their patients. It comprises of a novel, confidential, digital intervention and a suite of tailored support materials to help health care workers integrate these engagements into their existing practices. It is currently being piloted in community and hospital healthcare settings across Ireland in partnership with HSE Health and Wellbeing.

Team
Dr Michelle Flood (Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, RCSI, Principal Investigator)
Dr Frank Moriarty (Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, RCSI)
Ms Niamh Dillon (Research Fellow, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, RCSI)
Dr Marcus Hanratty (Lecturer, NCAD)
Mr Mark Ennis (Assistant Lecturer, TU Dublin)
Dr Fabian Sweeney (Lecturer, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, RCSI)
Dr Aoife De Brún (Lecturer/Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Midwifery, and Health Systems, UCD)
Dr Fiona Boland (Senior Lecturer in Biostatistics and Research Methods, Data Science Centre, RCSI)
Ms Louise Fitzsimons (Teacher-Practitioner, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, RCSI)
Dr Caroline McCarthy (Clinical Lecturer and Research Fellow, Department of General Practice, RCSI)

Associated publications

Papers

  • Flood, M., Ennis, M., Ludlow, A., Sweeney, F. F., Holton, A., Morgan, S., … & Moriarty, F. (2021). Research methods from human-centered design: Potential applications in pharmacy and health services research. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 17(12), 2036-2043.
  • Sweeney, F. F., Flynn, S. M., Ludlow, A., Dillon, N., Ennis, M., Argent, R., … & Flood, M. (2023). A blended model to support brief interventions in primary care: A qualitative study of usability and acceptability of HealthEir in community pharmacy. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 19(5), 807-820.

Book Chapter

  • Flood, M., Gleeson, L. L., Flynn, S., Ennis, M., Ludlow, A., Sweeney, F. F., … & Moriarty, F. (2022). Using methods from human-centered design in health research: An introduction for pharmacy and health services researchers. In Contemporary Research Methods in Pharmacy and Health Services (pp. 103-113). Academic Press.

Conference/Seminar Presentations

  • Flood M, (2020) Health Design in primary care during Covid-19, Designing on the Frontlines, Jefferson University, PA, USA, – https://www.healthdesignlab.com/dotfl/designing-on-the-front-line-episode-11
  • Sweeney F, (2020) HealthEir: Your Journey to Better Health, RCSI School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences Research Seminar Series. RCSI, Dublin
  • Flood M, Ennis M, Ludlow A, Sweeney F,  Mellon L, et al,(2021) ‘Using Human-Centred Design to Develop Innovative Approaches to Improve Delivery of Brief Interventions in Primary Care: The HealthEir Project’, International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 29.Supplement_1 (2021), i16–17 https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpp/riab016.020 – Oral presentation at Health Services Research and Pharmacy Practice Conference (HSRPP), Reading, UK,  April 2021
  • Sweeney F, Ennis M, Ludlow A, Holton A, Morgan S, et al, (2021), Design, Development, implementation and evaluation of HealthEir, Health Promotion Conference – Health Promotion through E-Health: Challenges and Opportunities, Galway, Ireland
  • Sweeney F, Ludlow A, Ennis M, Brown C, Ní Lubhaing et al (2021), Development of a Training Programme for Brief Interventions: A Human-Centred Design Approach, Lifelong Learning in Pharmacy, Dublin, Ireland

Conference Workshops

  • Flood M, Moriarty F, Ennis M, Sweeney F, Hanratty M (2021) Design and Health Services Research: Addressing Complex Challenges Primary Care through Radical Interdisciplinarity – Health Services Research Conference UK (HSR UK), Online Conference