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Research impact and case studies

Our studies change how patients are treated in real clinical settings.

Recovery after severe COVID-19

We studied recovery after critical illness caused by COVID-19.

Patients were supported at home using wearable monitoring and remote clinical coaching.

What we found:

  • better recovery after one year
  • support could be delivered safely at home.

The programme is now used in clinical care.

Case study titled ‘Recovery following severe COVID-19 – The COVID-OR study’. A multi-centre observational study exploring recovery pathways after severe COVID-19. Four key sections are highlighted: (1) novel technology deployment using wearable devices for remote monitoring, (2) multi-disciplinary support through remote coaching, (3) improved recovery outcomes at one year associated with remote coaching, and (4) impact including regional and national media coverage and implementation in clinical practice. Images alongside show a clinician at a computer, a patient receiving oxygen support in hospital, a person cycling outdoors, and a patient exercising indoors.

Home-based preparation before cancer surgery

Some patients cannot attend hospital exercise programmes.

We developed a remote pre-surgery programme using smart technology and online guidance.

Benefits for patients:

  • easier access
  • improved fitness before surgery
  • quicker recovery afterwards.

This is now used in pre-surgery care for our patients.

Case study titled ‘Smartwatch-enabled prehabilitation in cancer surgery’. The graphic explains how prehabilitation can improve physical fitness before surgery, leading to faster recovery and better outcomes. It highlights barriers to access, including low engagement with traditional programmes, and challenges such as distance, limited mobility, and time constraints. It presents a digital solution using smartwatch technology and an online platform to provide remote monitoring, feedback, and exercise programmes delivered at home. Supporting visuals include a smartwatch, app dashboards, exercise videos, and a patient pathway diagram from diagnosis through prehabilitation, surgery, and recovery.

Learning from endurance athletes

We carried out research during endurance sporting events to understand how the body reacts to extreme stress.

This helped develop:

  • heat illness safety guidance
  • temperature monitoring technology
  • new biological markers of organ stress.

These findings are now helping both athletes and our critically ill patients.

Case study titled ‘Endurance athletes, heat illness and biomarkers’. The graphic explains research conducted at endurance events, including the Brighton Marathon, to improve clinical practice and athlete safety. It highlights: consensus guidelines for pre-hospital heat illness management; research on brain biomarkers in exertional heat illness through an army collaboration; and four key areas—(1) use of wireless ingestible pill technology to measure core temperature during competition, (2) real-time monitoring and data visualisation of athletes, (3) investigation of brain biomarkers, and (4) insights into acute kidney injury (AKI) biomarkers to assess renal function. Images show research staff at an event, scientific journal excerpts, monitoring technology, diagrams, and a group of researchers at a marathon setting. The overall message is that these studies connect elite athletic performance with clinical medicine to better understand heat illness, organ stress, and recovery
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