Ann Blandford
Biographic Data
| ID | 5224849 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ann Blandford |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ann |
| FAMILY NAME | Blandford |
| SIGNATURE | BLANDFORD A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University College London |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3198-7122 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 0 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 18 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 0 |
Optimising the usability of AI-assisted augmented reality displays of critical structures during surgery – An international study of surgeon-computer interaction
In many endoscopic surgical procedures, the surgical team must identify and remove pathological tissue while avoiding critical structures such as arteries and nerves. Augmented reality (AR) offers potential support by overlaying visual information about the location of pathology and critical structures directly onto the operative field, enhancing spatial awareness and surgical navigation. However, limited research has evaluated how best to design…
Perceptions and knowledge of diabetes in poor urban communities in Accra, Ghana
Diabetes is a major public health concern, leading to costly and life-threating complications while significantly impacting quality of life. However, limited evidence exists on how diabetes is understood in poor urban communities in Africa, including Ghana. Evidence suggests that community beliefs about disease can shape health outcomes and influence intervention strategies. This cross-sectional qualitative study assessed perceptions and knowledg…
Changes in food quality and habits in urban Ghana
Respondents reported a shift from home cooking and communal meals toward eating out-of-home meals. The current dietary habits reflect a hybrid of modern foods with traditional foods. Food insecurity is high, and their diets provide little protection against chronic non-communicable diseases. This limits opportunities to move towards healthy diets and improved health outcomes as envisioned in the Agenda 2030
Community perspectives on the built environment, community stress, and the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in Accra, Ghana
The growing burden of diabetes and other non-communicable diseases in Africa demands greater understanding of the contextual drivers of risk factors, including the built environment. Cognitive Mapping (CM) is a participatory research approach that allows community members to visualise their environmental context through drawing. The maps express in visual form the situated knowledge of the environment from local perceptions of daily experiences. …
Increasing HIV testing and linkage to care among men in rural South Africa using conditional financial incentives and a decision support app
Men in sub-Saharan Africa are less likely to accept HIV testing and link to HIV care than women. We conducted a trial to investigate the impact of conditional financial incentives and a decision support application, called EPIC-HIV, on HIV testing and linkage to care. We report the findings of the trial process evaluation to explore whether the interventions were delivered as intended, identify mechanisms of impact and any contextual factors that…
Contextual awareness, response and evaluation (Care) of diabetes in poor urban communities in Ghana
Diabetes remains a major, global clinical and public health threat with consistent rises in prevalence around the world over the past four decades. Two-thirds of the projected increases in global diabetes prevalence to 2045 are expected to come from low- and middle-income countries, including those in sub-Saharan Africa. Ghana is typical of this trend. However, there are gaps in evidence regarding the appropriate development of interventions and …
Effect of a Male-Targeted Digital Decision Support Application Aimed at Increasing Linkage to HIV Care Among Men
Shifting Norms and Value Conflicts
Sex-social applications used by men who have sex with men (MSM) often provide options to disclose HIV status to encourage more positive language and reduce stigma. Yet, little research has sought to understand how in-app disclosure fields impact on disclosure motivation. We interviewed MSM living with HIV and those who self-reported being HIV-negative ( $$N=27$$ N = 27 ) in the UK and applied a hierarchical model of motivation to interpret our da…
Scoping review of community health participatory research projects in Ghana
BACKGROUND: Community health participation is an essential tool in health research and management where community members, researchers and other relevant stakeholders contribute to the decision-making processes. Though community participation processes can be complex and challenging, evidence from previous studies have reported significant value of engaging with community in community health projects. OBJECTIVE: To identify the nature and extent …
Acceptability of a tablet-based application to support early HIV testing among men in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Uptake of HIV testing remains low among men in South Africa. As part of a trial, we assessed the acceptability of a theoretically derived and adapted tablet-based-application (EPIC-HIV1) in rural South Africa. We conducted 20 in-depth interviews with men aged ≥18 years and offered a tablet-based survey to all men aged ≥15 years who received EPIC-HIV1 (Sep-Dec 2018). We conducted a descriptive analysis of the survey and used Self-Determination The…
What influences the selection of contextual cues when starting a new routine behaviour? An exploratory study
Future behaviour change interventions that rely on routine behaviours might fruitfully include the provision of educational information regarding what approaches are suboptimal (single factors, vaguely defined plans) and what is most likely to work (combining multiple clearly defined cues). They should also assess people's existing beliefs about how to best remember specific behaviours as such beliefs can either enhance or inhibit the cues they s…
Home-based intervention to test and start (Hits) protocol
This trial was registered on 28 November 2018 on, identifier https://clinicaltrials.gov
Lessons from working with researchers and practitioners in healthcare
This forum is dedicated to personal health in all its many facets: decision making, goal setting, celebration, discovery, reflection, and coordination, among others. We look at innovations in interactive technologies and how they help address current critical healthcare challenges. --- Yunan Chen, Editor
Conceptualising engagement with digital behaviour change interventions
Understanding and Promoting Effective Engagement With Digital Behavior Change Interventions
Turning to Peers
People are increasingly involved in the self-management of their own health, including chronic conditions. With technology advances, the choice of self-management practices, tools, and technologies has never been greater. The studies reported here investigated the information seeking practices of two different chronic health populations in their quest to manage their health conditions. Migraine and diabetes patients and clinicians in the UK and t…
Making Sense of Digital Footprints in Team-Based Legal Investigations
Sensemaking occurs when people face the problem of forming an understanding of a situation. One scenario in which technology has a particularly significant impact on sensemaking and its success is in legal investigations. Legal investigations extend over time, are resource intensive, and require the sifting and re-representation of large collections of electronic evidence and close collaboration between multiple investigators. In this article, we…
Scoping Analytical Usability Evaluation Methods
Analytical usability evaluation methods (UEMs) can complement empirical evaluation of systems: for example, they can often be used earlier in design and can provide accounts of why users might experience difficulties, as well as what those difficulties are. However, their properties and value are only partially understood. One way to improve our understanding is by detailed comparisons using a single interface or system as a target for evaluation…
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Scoping Analytical Usability Evaluation Methods
Analytical usability evaluation methods (UEMs) can complement empirical evaluation of systems: for example, they can often be used earlier in design and can provide accounts of why users might experience difficulties, as well as what those difficulties are. However, their properties and value are only partially understood. One way to improve our understanding is by detailed comparisons using a single interface or system as a target for evaluation…
Making Sense of Digital Footprints in Team-Based Legal Investigations
Sensemaking occurs when people face the problem of forming an understanding of a situation. One scenario in which technology has a particularly significant impact on sensemaking and its success is in legal investigations. Legal investigations extend over time, are resource intensive, and require the sifting and re-representation of large collections of electronic evidence and close collaboration between multiple investigators. In this article, we…
Understanding and Promoting Effective Engagement With Digital Behavior Change Interventions
Turning to Peers
People are increasingly involved in the self-management of their own health, including chronic conditions. With technology advances, the choice of self-management practices, tools, and technologies has never been greater. The studies reported here investigated the information seeking practices of two different chronic health populations in their quest to manage their health conditions. Migraine and diabetes patients and clinicians in the UK and t…
Conceptualising engagement with digital behaviour change interventions
Lessons from working with researchers and practitioners in healthcare
This forum is dedicated to personal health in all its many facets: decision making, goal setting, celebration, discovery, reflection, and coordination, among others. We look at innovations in interactive technologies and how they help address current critical healthcare challenges. --- Yunan Chen, Editor
Home-based intervention to test and start (Hits) protocol
This trial was registered on 28 November 2018 on, identifier https://clinicaltrials.gov
What influences the selection of contextual cues when starting a new routine behaviour? An exploratory study
Future behaviour change interventions that rely on routine behaviours might fruitfully include the provision of educational information regarding what approaches are suboptimal (single factors, vaguely defined plans) and what is most likely to work (combining multiple clearly defined cues). They should also assess people's existing beliefs about how to best remember specific behaviours as such beliefs can either enhance or inhibit the cues they s…
Acceptability of a tablet-based application to support early HIV testing among men in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Uptake of HIV testing remains low among men in South Africa. As part of a trial, we assessed the acceptability of a theoretically derived and adapted tablet-based-application (EPIC-HIV1) in rural South Africa. We conducted 20 in-depth interviews with men aged ≥18 years and offered a tablet-based survey to all men aged ≥15 years who received EPIC-HIV1 (Sep-Dec 2018). We conducted a descriptive analysis of the survey and used Self-Determination The…
Scoping review of community health participatory research projects in Ghana
BACKGROUND: Community health participation is an essential tool in health research and management where community members, researchers and other relevant stakeholders contribute to the decision-making processes. Though community participation processes can be complex and challenging, evidence from previous studies have reported significant value of engaging with community in community health projects. OBJECTIVE: To identify the nature and extent …
Increasing HIV testing and linkage to care among men in rural South Africa using conditional financial incentives and a decision support app
Men in sub-Saharan Africa are less likely to accept HIV testing and link to HIV care than women. We conducted a trial to investigate the impact of conditional financial incentives and a decision support application, called EPIC-HIV, on HIV testing and linkage to care. We report the findings of the trial process evaluation to explore whether the interventions were delivered as intended, identify mechanisms of impact and any contextual factors that…
Contextual awareness, response and evaluation (Care) of diabetes in poor urban communities in Ghana
Diabetes remains a major, global clinical and public health threat with consistent rises in prevalence around the world over the past four decades. Two-thirds of the projected increases in global diabetes prevalence to 2045 are expected to come from low- and middle-income countries, including those in sub-Saharan Africa. Ghana is typical of this trend. However, there are gaps in evidence regarding the appropriate development of interventions and …
Effect of a Male-Targeted Digital Decision Support Application Aimed at Increasing Linkage to HIV Care Among Men
Shifting Norms and Value Conflicts
Sex-social applications used by men who have sex with men (MSM) often provide options to disclose HIV status to encourage more positive language and reduce stigma. Yet, little research has sought to understand how in-app disclosure fields impact on disclosure motivation. We interviewed MSM living with HIV and those who self-reported being HIV-negative ( $$N=27$$ N = 27 ) in the UK and applied a hierarchical model of motivation to interpret our da…
Perceptions and knowledge of diabetes in poor urban communities in Accra, Ghana
Diabetes is a major public health concern, leading to costly and life-threating complications while significantly impacting quality of life. However, limited evidence exists on how diabetes is understood in poor urban communities in Africa, including Ghana. Evidence suggests that community beliefs about disease can shape health outcomes and influence intervention strategies. This cross-sectional qualitative study assessed perceptions and knowledg…
Changes in food quality and habits in urban Ghana
Respondents reported a shift from home cooking and communal meals toward eating out-of-home meals. The current dietary habits reflect a hybrid of modern foods with traditional foods. Food insecurity is high, and their diets provide little protection against chronic non-communicable diseases. This limits opportunities to move towards healthy diets and improved health outcomes as envisioned in the Agenda 2030
Community perspectives on the built environment, community stress, and the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in Accra, Ghana
The growing burden of diabetes and other non-communicable diseases in Africa demands greater understanding of the contextual drivers of risk factors, including the built environment. Cognitive Mapping (CM) is a participatory research approach that allows community members to visualise their environmental context through drawing. The maps express in visual form the situated knowledge of the environment from local perceptions of daily experiences. …
Optimising the usability of AI-assisted augmented reality displays of critical structures during surgery – An international study of surgeon-computer interaction
In many endoscopic surgical procedures, the surgical team must identify and remove pathological tissue while avoiding critical structures such as arteries and nerves. Augmented reality (AR) offers potential support by overlaying visual information about the location of pathology and critical structures directly onto the operative field, enhancing spatial awareness and surgical navigation. However, limited research has evaluated how best to design…
Medicine (9 works) · Psychology (9 works) · Computer Science (8 works) · Public health (6 works) · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (5 works) · Environmental health (5 works) · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions (5 works) · Nursing (5 works) · Political science (5 works) · Diabetes Management and Education (4 works)