Question 1

What is the NHS DigiWell study?

Accepted Answer

NHS DigiWell is a first-ever research study of communications intervention for NHS staff.

The study is Health Research Authority (HRA) approved (22/HRA/372) and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN) adopted (HEAL 53838).

Question 2

Why is the study needed?

Accepted Answer

NHS staff are experiencing an increasing amount of stress when managing their emails (email technostress).

NHSmail is used to communicate urgent and complex matters, including patient care tasks. Typically, staff have no dedicated time to read and respond to emails and meeting requests, leaving workers wrestling with these pressures alongside their daily roles, during break time and non-working hours for fear of jeopardising the delivery of patient care. Often this results in an inability to switch off and risk of burnout. To date, the 1.4 million healthcare workers in the NHS have no digital communications and wellbeing policy in place to help them navigate and regulate the demands of a full inbox.

Question 3

What is the study about?

Accepted Answer

The study was set up to determine the effectiveness of AirEmail, a new inbox and calendar management tool, developed for healthcare workers to make their work lives more sustainable and efficient.

Question 4

What does the study involve?

Accepted Answer

NHS staff who are eligible to take part are invited to download the AirEmail tool in their NHSmail outlook. The study includes: 
a 2-week control period to gauge participants’ normal email usage without the AirEmail tool
a 1-2-week onboarding period in which participants learn to use the tool (45 minutes training)
a 4-week period when participants make use of AirEmail features as part of their daily work
a 2-week after-study control period during which time participants do not use the add-on while email stats are collected.

Only non-identifiable email use data are collected during the course of the study.

Question 5

Who can take part in the study?

Accepted Answer

If you work for the study research site (currently Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust) and meet the eligibility criteria, you are invited to take part in the study. To find out if you’re eligible, click Participate under the Sign Up section below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions

What is the NHS DigiWell study?

Why is the study needed?

What is the study about?

What does the study involve?

Who can take part in the study?