Community Conversations: Digital access and inclusion

Lead Applicant: Francesca Dakin

Lead Member: Oxford

This dissemination and engagement project will share key findings from previous SPCR-funded research on digital systems for patient access and triage in UK general practice. We will run a series of in-person ‘community conversations’, aimed at specific groups that this research highlighted as likely to experience problems using digital systems in general practice, and issues accessing care as a result. These conversations will each involve a short plain language presentation summarising the research findings. Then, we will discuss attendees’ awareness, experiences, and views of these systems. There will also be a discussion about how these systems are changing, with more practices using AI-enabled versions of those tools. We will record these discussions and stories using sticky notes and summary notes on a whiteboard, and write up reflexive notes after each session.

The aims of these community conversations are:

• Translate research findings into clear, accessible discussions for patient audiences.
• Engage people at risk of digital exclusion in conversations about how these technologies affect them.
• Identify how best to communicate such information with these groups in future.
• Use insights from these discussions to shape a research proposal on equity in AI-enabled access and triage in general practice.

Approach:
I will deliver three in-person discussion events across Oxfordshire in community settings (e.g., community centres, libraries, or cultural spaces). Each session will last one hour and include:

• A research presentation explaining the study results, including what digital (and, more recently, AI-powered) access and triage tools are, their use, and their effect on patient access and GP practice work. 
• Group discussions about participants’ awareness, experiences, concerns and hopes for these technologies.
• A short reflective activity on what good communication and engagement look like for their communities.
• Each session will be in plain English with translators, printed visual materials, and accessible versions (Easy Read, translated summaries where needed) provided as needed.

I will summarise participants’ insights and share them back through a 1-page summary, and write a reflexive summary report for the SPCR. This work will directly shape a follow-up research project on the equity of AI-enabled access and triage in UK general practice. The results will also, where relevant, be shared with the current National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare and the Patient Coalition for AI, Data and Digital Tech in Health.

The design and evaluation of these dissemination and engagement sessions is guided by the Public Involvement Impact Assessment Framework (PiiAF; Popay et al., 2014) to ensure systematic reflection on values, context, and impact.

Timelines:

- Months 1–5: Prepare plain English materials; recruit community partners and participants (this phase may overlap with the delivery phase).

- Months 5–7: Deliver three one-hour dissemination and engagement sessions.

- Months 8-10: Review and summarise participant feedback; prepare 1-pagers and short report for SPCR.

Amount: £2082.50