Long-term conditions

Approximately 15 million people in England, representing 1 in 4 adults, have one or more long-term conditions (LTCs). A LTC is an illness that cannot be cured, but may be controlled with medicines and/or other treatments. Common LTCs in the UK encompass a range of body systems and disorders spanning: cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, renal/urology, endocrine/diabetes, neurological/psychiatric and musculoskeletal/trauma. People living with LTCs face considerable challenges around the management of their long-term physical and mental health.     

About the research group

The ‘Living well with long-term conditions’ LWLTC research group is led by Prof Dez Kyte and Dr Kostas Papadopoulos. The LWLTC group aims to facilitate the development and implementation of high-quality research and knowledge exchange, targeted at helping people with long-term conditions and their families to live well.

 

Members

LWLTC Members

Operations Group

LWLTC Group Lead – Prof Dez Kyte PhD – Professor of Physiotherapy and course lead for the MSc (pre-reg) Physiotherapy programme, University of Worcester.

Deputy lead – Dr Kostas Papadopoulos PhD - Principal lecturer (physiotherapy) at the University of Worcester and the Head of Department for Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy & Nutritional Therapy.

Professor Eleanor Bradley PhD - College Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange (Health & Science) and a Professor of Health Psychology, University of Worcester.

Dr Berenice Mahoney PhD - Principal Lecturer, PhD Three Counties Medical School and the School of Psychology, University of Worcester.

Professor Rebecca Stack PhD - MBChB Assessment Lead, School Teaching and Learning coordinator, School EDI Lead and Professor of Student Success and Medical Assessment at Three Counties Medical School, University of Worcester.

Current Projects 

aims

 Funded Research Projects

PhD Students

  • Krista Easton: Co-occurence of autism among individuals living with bipolar disorder. Supervisor: Bere Mahoney
  • Alice Clements: The postpartum phase for men living with bipolar disorder: clinical features and psychosocial factors.Supervisor: Bere Mahoney
  • Beck Lowe: Self-diagnosis of autism: the role of social media. DoS: Bere Mahoney
  • University of Worcester.  Frances Chilton.  PhD Topic: Shared Decision Making: an exploration into the experiences of patients with early inflammatory / rheumatoid arthritis from symptom onset to first treatment year. Supervisor: E Bradley.
  • University of Worcester. Samita Kirve-PhD topic: Dementia education provision in pre-reg OT programmes in UK HEIs. Supervisor: Kostas Papadolpoulos.
  • MDX London. Katherine Paice-PhD topic: The role of nutrition in improving performance and reducing injury in female netball players. Supervisor: Kostas Papadolpoulos.
  • University of West Attica. George Kypraios-PhD topic: The use of clinical Pilates in Shoulder Tendinopathy. Supervisor: Kostas Papadolpoulos.
  • MDX London. Luca Maestroni – PhD topic: Strength and Power Assessment in Rehabilitation: Profiling the Athlete’s Return to Sport Journey Following ACL reconstruction – Supervisor: Kostas Papadolpoulos - PhD completed 2023/24.
  • Nicola Anderson. Using patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) to promote quality of care and safety in the management of patients with established kidney disease requiring treatment with haemodialysis. University of Birmingham, UK – Supervisor: D Kyte - PhD completed 2023/24.
  • Birgith Engelst Grove. Remote symptom monitoring using patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures in patients with chronic kidney disease: The PROKID study. Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark –External Supervisor: D Kyte - PhD completed 2023/24.

Outputs

Publications

  • Kristina Newman, Rebecca Stack, Mike Rennoldson, Eva Zysk, Eva Sundin and Preethi Premkumar (2024) Health Psychology. In. Banyard Et al.  Essential psychology. Fourth Edition. SAGE Publications Limited. 
  • Olatz Lopez-Fernandez, Rebecca Stack, Suvo Mitra and Louise A. Brown Nicholls (2004). Adulthood to Ageing. In. Banyard Et al.  Essential psychology. Fourth Edition. SAGE Publications Limited.
  • Qualitative analysis of the impact of providing support and care for severe mental illness on informal carers (In press) Sud D, Bradley E, Tritter J, Maidment I BMC Psychiatry
  • Johnson J, Hope L, Jones L and Bradley E (2023) A mixed methods study to understand perinatal mental healthcare referral decisions among midwives and health visitors in the UK. Frontiers in Psychiatry, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1056987
  • Doughty, A., Keane, G., Wadley, A. J., Mahoney, B., Bueno, A. A., & Coles, S. J. (2024). Plasma concentrations of thioredoxin, thioredoxin reductase and peroxiredoxin-4 can identify high risk patients and predict outcome in patients with acute coronary syndrome: A clinical observation. International Journal of Cardiology, 131888
  • Gordon-Smith, K., Hampshire, C., Mahoney, B., Perry, A., Lewis, K. J., Craddock, N., ... & Jones, L. (2024). Opportunities to engage in positive activities during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perspectives of individuals with mood disorders. Journal of Affective Disorders, 345, 186-191
  • Hampshire, C., Mahoney, B., & Davis, S. K. (2022). Parenting styles and disordered eating among youths: A rapid scoping review. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 802567
  • Lea, R., Davis, S. K., Mahoney, B., & Qualter, P. (2023). Do emotionally intelligent adolescents flourish or flounder under pressure? Linking emotional intelligence to stress regulation mechanisms. Personality and Individual Differences, 201, 111943
  • Mahoney, B. (2024). Geography and breast reconstruction: the complex business of using travel time to understand how patients access care after surgery. Ann Breast Surg 2024; 8:13 https://dx.doi.org/10.21037/abs-23-24

Collaborators

Dr Shirley Evans - Director of The Association for Dementia Studies, University of Worcester. 

Dr Chris Bowers - Head of Dept. Computing, Principal Lecturer, University of Worcester. 

Dr Andrew Morris - Specialist renal dietician, Worcester Acute Hospitals NHS trust.