About the DISC Study
About the DISC Study
The DISC (Digital Inequalities in South Asians with Cardiometabolic disease) Study aims to develop policies that address inequalities in how people from ethnic minority backgrounds use digital health interventions for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, focusing on South Asians as a case study.
About the study
The DISC Study is looking at inequalities in the use of digital health interventions, such as websites and phone apps, for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. You can learn more about the background to the DISC Study here.
We have launched a new online survey to understand how and why people from South Asian backgrounds use health technology for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. We really need to hear about your experiences with digital healthcare to understand how patient care in this area can be improved.
The DISC Study
The DISC (Digital Inequalities in South Asians with Cardiometabolic disease) Study, which will run until Summer 2023, will look at inequalities in the use of digital health interventions for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The study focuses on people from a South Asian background, as this group has a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and some South Asian communities are more likely to experience health inequalities. It is important that interventions aimed at treatment or prevention of these illnesses will meet their needs.
As part of the project, we will speak to people of South Asian backgrounds, healthcare professionals, and other experts in the health system, about how and why people from South Asian backgrounds use health technology for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and how this might differ from the rest of the UK population. If there are any differences, we will try to understand what can be done to help make digital health interventions more appealing to people from all different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. We will also try to understand the experiences of South Asians using digital health interventions to manage their health during the pandemic, and any technology used in relation to coronavirus.
We will be conducting this research through an online survey, focus group discussions, and interviews. If you are interested in taking part in this research please contact the research team at: disc-study@ucl.ac.uk
Our Team
This study is being led by Professor Amitava Banerjee from the Institute of Health Informatics, UCL, and is being carried out with collaborators from across the UK.
Core research team (UCL):
- Professor Amitava Banerjee
- Dr Nushrat Khan
- Dr Mel Ramasawmy
Wider research team:
- Late Professor Elizabeth Murray - UCL
- Professor Fiona Stevenson - UCL
- Professor Henry Potts - UCL
- Professor Ann Blandford - UCL
- Professor Kamlesh Khunti – University of Leicester
- Professor Paramjit Gill – University of Warwick
- Professor Wasim Hanif - University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
- Dr Neeraj Bhala - Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham
- Professor Kiran Patel - University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
- Professor Mahendra Patel - University of Sheffield#
- Professor Partha Kar - Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
- Mr Ayath Ullah – PPI Representative
- Mrs Shivali Modha - PPI Representative
- Mr Manoj Mistry – PPI Representative
- Ms Madiha Sajid – PPI Representative
Further information
- This study is funded by the National Institute for Health Research https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR200937
- This survey has received ethical approval from the University College London Research Ethics Committee (ref: 20413/001)
- UCL Study page: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/epidemiology-health-care/digital-interventions-cardiometabolic-disease-south-asians
Contact Details
The DISC Study
Institute of Health Informatics, 222 Euston Road
University College London, London, NW1 2DA
