Research Overview

Zoë currently has particular interests in:

‘Person centred care’ and associated concepts such as shared decision-making and support for self-management; clinician-patient communication issues; and issues relating to patient support and information provision. She also has interests in using evidence from patient/public and health professionals' perspectives to inform the design of health care research (e.g. clinical trials). 

Zoë is always willing to discuss potential PhD supervisions and postdoctoral mentoring arrangements within these broad areas. Please contact Zoë at the e-mail address shown above or enquire at the Graduate School https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/

Current Research

Baby boxes and parental capabilities: developing a measure of social outcomes. 

The introduction of baby boxes is a unique Scottish policy within the UK, aiming to improve health outcomes for babies and provide practical support for new parents in Scotland. The overall aim of this study is to provide the methodological underpinnings for a future longer term study which will seek to design a holistic measure of wider social benefits. We anticipate that this could support not only a future evaluation of baby boxes but also other health interventions with an intended public health outcome. 

Specific aims:

To improve understanding of how issues relating to the introduction of baby boxes have been reported in a sample of media coverage.

To explore how issues relating to the introduction of baby boxes have been publicly discussed within a sample of online parental discussion forums.

To investigate how a range of Scottish parents feel about and respond to baby boxes as they roll out into routine practice.

PAtient-centred Care for Fibromyalgia: New pathway Design (PACFiND)

This project (funded by Versus Arthritis) aims to improve healthcare services for patients with fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a common condition with symptoms of pain, fatigue and sleep disturbance. There is not much evidence on the best way to organise health services for fibromyalgia. Patients are dissatisfied with current services and believe no-one takes responsibility.

We will gather information from patients about their current healthcare. We will work with health professionals to understand how services are organised. We will then identify what better care for patients with fibromyalgia looks like. We will also estimate the benefits and costs of existing and alternative care models. By the end of the study we will have developed a new model of care for people with fibromyalgia. The model will prioritise what people with fibromyalgia think is important. It will be cost-effective and ensure better outcomes for patients. We will develop a plan for how the service can be put in place to ensure higher levels of patient satisfaction across the country. We will also produce an online resource offering information and support to patients via Healthtalk.

Using Care Opinion for patient-centred quality improvement

NHS Scotland formally supports the use of Care Opinion as a way for patients and families to give feedback to the NHS and for hospitals to identify improvements which could be made to respond to patient comments.  This project will involve 1) analysis of recent comments about NHS Grampian services and how staff have responded, and 2) interviews with staff at different levels in the organisation about their experience of working with Care Opinion data, to understand their concerns and how they can be better supported to use Care Opinion. The lead investigator is already involved in two English studies on how staff use different types of patient experience data for quality improvement, including online data. This project will bring learning from those projects into the Scottish context, and pave the way for a Scotland-wide study of Care Opinion.

Research Funding and Grants

2019-2020 NHS Grampian Endowments. Baby boxes and parental capabilities: developing a measure of social outcomes. Skea ZC, Locock L, Ryan M, Morgan H, Black, M. £10,427

2018-2019 NHS Grampian Endowments. Using Care Opinion for patient-centred quality improvement.Locock L, Entwistle V, Skea ZC. £11,959

2016-2018 NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme. (REBALANCE) REview of Behaviour And Lifestyle interventions for severe obesity: AN evidenCE synthesis. Avenell A, Skea ZC,  Aveyard P, Boyers D, de Bruin M, Webber L, MacLennan, G. £478,689.71

2014-2015 NHS Grampian Endowment Fund. Entwistle V, Swinton J, Oldroyd L, Skea Z, Sierawska A. Shared Decision-Making with Adults with Learning Difficulties: Pump Priming a New Research Theme for Person Centred Care. £11.670

2013-2015 The Health Foundation. Entwistle V, Cribb A, Watt I, Skea Z, Owens J. Re-conceptualising support for self-management of long-term conditions (Concept:SSM). £259,597

2011-2012 Prostate Cancer UK.  Skea Z & MacLennan S (Joint CI), McCann S, N'Dow J. Support groups for men who have prostate cancer, their families and friends: identifying best practice models. £24,680

2011-2012 Scottish Cancer Research Network.  Skea Z & MacLennan S (Joint CI). Information for choice in urological cancer: What people need, prefer and use. £21,629 

2009 -2012 CSO Postdoctoral Fellowship in Health Services and Health of the Public Research. Schumm K, Campbell M, Ramsay C, Skea Z, MacLennan S, N'Dow J. The acceptability and usefulness of a trial participation decision aid: a mixed methods study of patients and clinicians in the UK.  £167,975

2001-2005 CSO Research Training Fellowship.  Skea Z, Entwistle V, Watt I, Russell E. Communication in different arenas: the case of MMR vaccine.  £81,850

2000-2001 CSO small grant. Bhattacharya S, Entwistle V, Skea Z, Templeton A. Decision making in hysterectomy for heavy menstrual bleeding: how satisfied are women? (A pilot study).  £20,575