Keeping patient and public partnership at the heart of medical technology development during Covid-19: examples of adaptive practice.

NIHR (National Institute for Health Research) Devices for Dignity MedTech Cooperative (D4D) and NIHR Children and Young People MedTech Cooperative (CYPMedTech) have established track records in keeping patient and public involvement (PPI) at the core of medical technology development, evaluation and implementation. The 2020 global COVID-19 pandemic presented significant challenges to maintaining this crucial focus. In this paper we describe prior successful methodologies and share examples of the adaptations made in order to continue to engage with patients and the public throughout the pandemic and beyond. We reflect on learning gained from these experiences, and new areas of scope and focus relating to broadening the reach of engagement and representation, along with associated resource requirements and impact metrics.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sleep and mental wellbeing of children and young people with and without special educational needs

BackgroundChildren and young people (CYP) with special educational needs (SEN) are more likely to experience disturbed sleep and poorer mental wellbeing. This study explored the differential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sleep and mental wellbeing of CYP with and without SEN.MethodsNIHR Children and Young People MedTech Co-operative, Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, and The Sleep Charity carried out an online survey between 23 June 2020 and 17 August 2020. The 77-item survey was shared via social media platforms.Results559 participants were included in the analyses, 15.74% of whom reported having a CYP with SEN. While sleep changes due to the pandemic were largely similar for both groups, CYP with SEN (40.91%) were more likely to get or wake up during the night than CYP without SEN (40.91% vs 27.18%). CYP with SEN were significantly more likely than children without SEN to be demotivated (61.44% vs 31.57%), sad and tearful (36.15% vs 19.35%) or anxious and stressed (43.48% vs 14.82%) during the pandemic, as well as to report that increased anxiety was more likely to contribute to poorer sleep (43.48% vs 14.82%).ConclusionWhile the majority of CYP in both groups reported sleep changes due to the pandemic, CYP with SEN experienced more sleep disturbance. The findings provide initial evidence to suggest that the pandemic may have had a greater impact on the sleep and mental wellbeing of CYP with SEN compared to CYP without SEN.