Implementing disruptive technological change in UK healthcare: exploring development of a smart phone app for remote patient monitoring as a boundary object using qualitative methods

Charlotte A. Sharp is Clinical Lecturer in Rheumatology at the Centre for Epidemiology Versus Arthritis at the University of Manchester, and a rheumatology specialty trainee. She holds undergraduate degrees in Medicine and Healthcare Ethics and Law. Her doctorate from the Alliance Manchester Business School focussed upon products (e.g. toolkits) from healthcare research, asking why and how they are developed, and how this might influence their potential application. Research and practice interests include knowledge mobilization, implementation science, quality improvement, shared decision-making and patient-centred care. She led the development of the British Society for Rheumatology Choosing Wisely UK recommendations.

Mike Bresnen is Professor of Organization Studies and Head of Department of People and Performance in the Faculty of Business and Law at Manchester Metropolitan University. He has previously worked at the universities of Manchester, Leicester, Warwick, Cardiff and Loughborough. He has researched and published widely on healthcare managers, on the organization and management of projects (with particular reference to the construction industry) and on learning and innovation in project-based settings. His most recent funded research has been on healthcare management and leadership in the NHS (for the NIHR), project-based learning in construction, manufacturing and services (for the EPSRC) and biomedical innovation processes in the UK and US (for the ESRC and EPSRC). He was a co-founder and co-director of both the Health Services Research Centre (Alliance Manchester Business School) and the Innovation, Knowledge and Organizational Networks Research Centre (Warwick Business School).

Lynn Austin worked as a Research Fellow on the REMORA project on a full time basis and was invoked in all aspects of the study including data collection, analysis, report writing and dissemination. She coordinated activity with the PPI group who worked alongside the research team. On completion of the project, she left the centre for primary care and now works in a freelance capacity providing academic support. Her background is in nursing and she has had a long career in academia and has been involved in numerous health service related research projects, with a particular emphasis on qualitative design.

Jillian McCarthy is a Senior Lecturer in Healthcare Management at Alliance Manchester Business School. With over twenty years' experience working in higher education, Jill commenced her role at the University of Manchester 2012 and is programme director for the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson MSc in Healthcare Leadership commissioned by the NHS Leadership Academy. A registered nurse by background, Jill previously worked as a nursing sister in community and palliative care settings and is committed to enhancing patient experience through the education of healthcare professionals. Research and teaching interests lie in leadership and management in healthcare; patient experience; ethical issues in healthcare; and technology enhanced learning in healthcare education and she has presented and published in these areas.

William G. Dixon is a Professor of Digital Epidemiology, Director of the Centre for Epidemiology Versus Arthritis at the University of Manchester and an honorary consultant rheumatologist at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust. He qualified from Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospitals, London, trained as a rheumatologist in Manchester, UK and has higher degrees from The University of Manchester and McGill University, Montreal. His interests are medication safety (pharmacoepidemiology) and using technology to support clinical care and research to improve patients' lives, including the collection and analysis of electronic health record data, collecting patient-generated health data using consumer devices, and analysis of social media data.

Caroline Sanders is Professor of Medical Sociology at the University of Manchester and has a professional background in nursing. She has expertise in health services research and qualitative research methods. Her interests include the collection and use of patient experience data, the negotiation of trust and privacy online, and the impact of digital innovations on healthcare interactions and inequalities. She leads the “Marginalized Groups (Patients and Carers)” research theme within the NIHR funded Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre. She is also Director for Public and Patient Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) at Health Innovation Manchester and has expertise in participatory methods for co-design of healthcare interventions.