# Hello everyone! Researcher new to the site :)



## JSWells (Jan 10, 2020)

Hi everyone,

My name is Josh, I'm a researcher based in London. The forum have kindly approved me posting my research study here with the thread included in the general messages threads, as well as my contact details in my profile. But most importantly I wanted to say hello and thank you for having me.

I've been reading so many conversations and it's fantastic to see the support everyone provides here, it's really encouraging to see so many motivated individuals as a researcher. I hope to continue to share on the forum, hopefully have some of you take part in our research and to be a part of this community throughout the year.

As a newbie, i'd like to ask, would people like me to share interesting research I find (excluding my own ofcourse!) on the forum?

Thanks,

Josh


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## Drummer (Jan 10, 2020)

Hello Josh - welcome to the forum.
I wonder what you are researching - is it, for instance, related more to one type of diabetes than another - assuming it is to any at all of course.


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## JSWells (Jan 10, 2020)

Hi,

Thanks for the message! I'm researching Type 2 Diabetes specifically at the moment. However, we hope to expand to other conditions including Type 1 Diabetes, COPD and cancer in the future using our tool. The reason we've chosen Type 2 Diabetes as our first condition to study is based on the issues faced by those with the condition, not only related to their medicines, but also the impact of their social environment, their relationships with medical professionals, the impact of mental health and a number of other factors. 

If you know anyone that may want to take part in the study and receive personalised feedback from our tool, please feel free to email me on joshua.wells@kingston.ac.uk 

Thanks again for welcoming me to the forum!


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## SueEK (Jan 10, 2020)

Hi Josh, could you please expand a little more on what ‘our tool’ is and how it works for us non-tech members. Thanks very much. Sue


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## JSWells (Jan 10, 2020)

SueEK said:


> Hi Josh, could you please expand a little more on what ‘our tool’ is and how it works for us non-tech members. Thanks very much. Sue


Hi Sue,

Of course, thank you for your message. The "tool" is currently a paper-based/online questionnaire that consists of statements relating to Type 2 Diabetes. The tool uses a rating scale for each question out of 1-5 to ask to what extent you agree or disagree with the statement. Without going into too much detail (it can affect the results), the questions in the survey cover a number of behaviours, factors and opinions in relation to Type 2 Diabetes. The answers from these statements are then analysed by myself (a pharmacist with a background in data analysis) to provide a profile of the patient. The responses provided to the survey give us an idea of what challenges the patient may be facing with their Type 2 Diabetes. The plan, if the tool is proven to be reliable, would be to use these personalised results to create a tailored support programme for each individual in their respective setting e.g. hospital, GP surgery, community pharmacy or even in their own home.

I hope this provides a bit more context to our work. Please feel free to email me if you'd like to be involved, or recommend anyone at joshua.wells@kingston.ac.uk

Thanks!


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## everydayupsanddowns (Jan 10, 2020)

Welcome to the forum @JSWells

And thanks for getting your research approved by Diabetes UK before posting


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## Drummer (Jan 11, 2020)

Ah - well too late for me - since I threw out the tablets and got back to normal on diet only I think my GP is sulking - it is over three years from diagnosis and I have not seen a doctor since.


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## JSWells (Jan 13, 2020)

Hi Drummer, glad to hear you're happy and managing things on your own terms, one of the most important parts of care IMO!


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## Toucan (Jan 17, 2020)

I had a very interesting chat with Josh Wells. The research is coming from the perspective of pharmacists, and taking a holistic approach to looking at the role of medication in diabetes treatment.

This seems to me be worthwhile so I have agreed to take part. The first stage requests obtaining a signed document from a community pharmacist confirming medications prescribed over the last few months. This is a problem for me as I tend to pick up my prescriptions at various locations. As an alternative though Josh is happy ta accept a print out from my on-line GP site of my prescription history, which was for me a much easier thing for me to do.

I understand that there will be a questionnaire to complete, and Josh offers feedback on the results.
I hope that some other forum members also feel encouraged to help him.


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## JSWells (Jan 18, 2020)

Thank you! It was great to chat to you as well. I feel like I'm gaining a great deal of insight from this forum and its users so I appreciate the warm welcome.

Fingers crossed we'll get some more people who want to give this a go too soon, especially once we've been able to analyse some results and people can share their feedback


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## Drummer (Jan 18, 2020)

I'd have thought that the most successful type twos would not feature on this at all - those who see good results without medication - even when prescribed it, by eating low carb and feeling able to be more active.


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## Jodee (Jan 18, 2020)

Hi Josh welcome,

I have steroid induced type 2 diabetes, from the need to take prednisolone for lung infections, this always puts my blood glucose up really high and just when I am getting it back under control .......

I am not really interested in small research studies ie few people taking part with only very few years involved etc and only carried out on a specific age category, a general diet, activity, lifestyle etc.  But if the research has been going on for years with a wide range in age and is close to getting recognition by NICE for instance then I would be interested.

I will however check out anything you post 

I am actually part of the PROTECT study which is being carried out over a 10 year period at the Kings College London on Dementia, its for people who do not have dementia over the age of 50 and monitors the group participants over that time, over 150,000 taking part I think at this time.  site is currently closed but will reopen sometime later this month, they do other studies as well.

Best wishes with your work.


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## JSWells (Jan 20, 2020)

Drummer said:


> I'd have thought that the most successful type twos would not feature on this at all - those who see good results without medication - even when prescribed it, by eating low carb and feeling able to be more active.



Hi Drummer, yes to somewhat I would agree, although I would say it's hard to define success as not using medication. Sadly, some other conditions may exacerbate someone's T2D and hence they may be required to use medication in addition to lifestyle interventions to support their blood glucose levels and support insulin secretion. However, it would be ideal if there were a cure-all panacea that didn't necessarily include medicine that suited everyone... Let's hope the research keeps getting pumped up and developed, i'm hopeful given how widely integrated Diabetes research is integrated across academia and healthcare currently.


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## JSWells (Jan 20, 2020)

Jodee said:


> Hi Josh welcome,
> 
> I have steroid induced type 2 diabetes, from the need to take prednisolone for lung infections, this always puts my blood glucose up really high and just when I am getting it back under control .......
> 
> ...



Hi Jodee,

Thank you for your message. I'm sorry to hear you've had some challenges regarding your blood sugar and use of prednisolone. Corticosteroids are always a pain! However, I hope you're doing well currently and are managing to find a regime that works well for you.

Well, our research is more behavioural than interventional currently, and hence doesn't necessarily fit the NICE guidance criteria as such. However, we're currently in phase 2 of the research, which has already included over 350 US patients, with an additional 700-800 to be recruited in the UK and France over the next 12 months. Phase 3 is looking to integrate an intervention, which if successful could someday support different NHS pathways for patient care. If any of this is something you might be interested in then please let me know!

I wasn't familiar with the PROTECT project, so thank you for sharing. I've also have a keen interest in both mental and sexual health outside of my current research speciality so it's always exciting to hear about projects such as this.

Thank you for the best wishes with the research!


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## Toucan (Jan 29, 2020)

I have recently completed Josh’s survey, which took 10 to 15 minutes. It is quite straightforward, but there were a few questions that made me think about my attitude to medication.
Josh then called me to discuss the results which were quite revealing and informative.

I hope that the tool that is being developed as part of the research, will help medics and pharmacists take a more holistic approach to medication prescriptions.


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## JSWells (Jan 29, 2020)

Thank you for the response! I'm really happy you could be involved in our study.

Hopefully, we'll get some more participants soon!


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## ColinUK (Jan 30, 2020)

JSWells said:


> Thank you for the response! I'm really happy you could be involved in our study.
> 
> Hopefully, we'll get some more participants soon!


You have email


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## JSWells (Jan 30, 2020)

ColinUK said:


> You have email


Thanks ColinUK,

Email received, I've just sent a reply. Hopefully we can get you involved.

Cheers,

Josh


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