Understanding the role of technology in the measurement, detection, prevention and management of fatigue across life transitions. (Advert ref: RDF18/PSY/ELLIS)

Fatigue may be thought of as a temporary inability to maintain optimal cognitive, physical or emotional performance. The onset is gradual, and maybe caused by many different factors ranging from stress, overstimulation, under stimulation, mineral or vitamin deficiency, to medical conditions, pain etc. It is different from sleepiness, which results from a lack of restful sleep. Diagnosis is typically by excluding other possible reasons for the symptoms. However, if not treated appropriately it may develop into chronic fatigue that is less transient and more debilitating.

Sleep is a potential cause of fatigue and important to health and recovery, but is known to be difficult in hospital and at times of life transitions, and thus can cause significant periods of fatigue, especially for people who have undergone surgery or significant life events. While the hospital environment itself has been shown to be counterproductive to recovery sleep (noise, light, temperature), the care process including waking up patients to administer pain relief drugs (typically hypnotics which can exacerbate poor sleep) is also problematic. Some improvement may be possible by addressing sleep throughout the process, preventing sleep issues arising before surgery, during preparation for surgery and in recovery after surgery. The same journey of preparing for life transitions may also occur. This research will explore synthesising the existing data on sleep before surgery, during hospital recovery and during recovery and then explore with healthcare professionals and patients what can legitimately and practically be done to aid recovery sleep in those who are preparing to or recovering from respiratory-related surgery. It builds on the research teams prior work on building psychological sleep interventions within both clinical and non-clinical environments and studying fatigue in clinics. The aim of this project is to compare the patients journey with the journey for those experiencing significant lifestyle changes such as parenthood. It will also compare the role of self report measures with objective measures available via technology and establish how technology might help in the prediction, detection, prevention, and management of fatigue. .

Eligibility and How to Apply
Please note eligibility requirement:
• Academic excellence of the proposed student i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities [preference for 1st class honours]); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
• Appropriate IELTS score, if required.
• Applicants cannot apply for this funding if currently engaged in Doctoral study at Northumbria or elsewhere.

For further details of how to apply, entry requirements and the application form, see
https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-degrees/how-to-apply/

Please note: Applications that do not include a research proposal of approximately 1,000 words (not a copy of the advert), or that do not include the advert reference (e.g. RDF18/…) will not be considered.

Deadline for applications: 28 January 2018
Start Date: 1 October 2018

Northumbria University takes pride in, and values, the quality and diversity of our staff. We welcome applications from all members of the community. The University holds an Athena SWAN Bronze award in recognition of our commitment to improving employment practices for the advancement of gender equality and is a member of the Euraxess network, which delivers information and support to professional researchers.

Informal Enquiries
Enquiries regarding this studentship should be made to (academic preferred contact tel/email details): [Email Address Removed] 0191 227 3472