Words cast spells: and why this matters in Parkinson’s In this, the first of three blogs, Alison Williams explores the impact that quality of life assessments can have on Parkinson’s patients, the values informing those measurements, the words that are used, and how those words can invoke the ‘nocebo effect’ – what one colleague calls ‘the evil twin of the placebo effect’. Any medical treatment has two elements – the specific effect of the treatment itself (whether pharmacological or non-pharmacological), and the non-specific effect upon the patient of perceiving that they are undergoing treatment (Colloca & Benedetti 2005). Beneficial nonspecific effects are well [...]

Evaluating and Evidencing Asset-Based Approaches and Co-Production in Health Inequalities In a new article published in Critical Public Health, Measuring Humanity PI, Marisa de Andrade, along with Nikolina Angelova, explores how public health interventions are designed, delivered and evaluated. They address calls to ‘revitalise’ the evidence-base by progressing evaluations using asset-based approaches and co-production. Utilising empirical and methodological findings, the authors examine how these approaches can be used to define, implement, evaluate and measure impacts of creative community engagement on health and inequalities. They seek to do this via the development, critique and implementation of a co-produced methodological evaluation framework – the Asset [...]

Measuring Humanity with the Deaf Community through Comedy Historically, the difficulties facing the Deaf community when attempting to access health and mental health services have not been adequately recognised. Many individuals face barriers, with health services primarily organised around hearing and talking. This poses challenges for both the Deaf population and medical professionals. Evidence suggests that Deaf people are three times more likely to have mental health problems than the general population, due to isolation, lack of language skills, poor education and risk of abuse. These issues, which were highlighted in our recent blog post by a member of the Deaf community, emphasise the [...]

Ignoring all the Signs - Mental Health and Wellbeing Implications for the Deaf Community Measuring Humanity has been working with the Deaf Community (people born Deaf or who become Deaf during their infant years), whose primary language is British Sign Language (BSL), to help address the range of barriers they face and to explore ways of co-producing appropriate services. To emphasise the importance of this forthcoming work, which has been funded by NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (NHSGGC), a Deaf community member, who wishes to remain anonymous, highlights some of the barriers Deaf individuals face when attempting to access health services. The insightful blog, [...]

Measuring Humanity in Aspiring Communities Measuring Humanity has been hard at work in Aspiring Communities in partnership with Bethany Christian Trust. This is funded by the Scottish Government's Aspiring Communities Fund supported by the European Social Fund (ESF). Paul Stevenson, the Community Support and Development Group Head for Bethany Christian Trust, shares his reflections: In a world where we’re more technologically connected than ever before, many people do not know their neighbours. They do not know the person on the other side of the wall, living only a few feet away. People declare the death of community yet speak little of resolutions to this [...]