Ruth Plackett

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Senior Research Fellow and Zinc and NIHR Innovtaion Fellow at University College London

Background Poor social connectedness has been identified as a risk factor for poor mental health but there is a lack of standardisation in how it is measured. This systematic review aimed to identify suitable measures of social connectedness for use in UK adult general populations. Methods Searches were undertaken in two stages to identify: (1) me...

BACKGROUND Clinical reasoning is increasingly recognised as an important skill in the diagnosis of serious conditions. eCREST (electronic Clinical Reasoning Educational Simulation Tool), a clinical reasoning learning resource was developed to support medical students to learn clinical reasoning. However, primary care teams now encompass a wider ran...

Background Previous studies have explored the association between social media use and mental health among adolescents. However, few studies using nationally representative longitudinal data have explored this relationship for adults and how the effect might change depending on how people use social media. Objective This study investigated the lon...

Background Previous studies have explored the association between social media use and mental health among adolescents. However, few studies using nationally representative longitudinal data have explored this relationship for adults and how the effect might change depending on how people use social media.This study investigated the longitudinal re...

BACKGROUND Previous studies have explored the association between social media use and mental health among adolescents. However, few studies using nationally representative longitudinal data have explored this relationship for adults and how the effect might change depending on how people use social media. OBJECTIVE This study investigated the lon...

Background There is some evidence that problematic social media use is related to poorer mental well-being. To improve users’ mental well-being, social media interventions, e.g., abstinence from social media, have been recommended. However, there is limited understanding of their effectiveness. This systematic review aimed to synthesise literature...

Background Problematic social media use occurs when social media interferes with a person’s daily life and mental well-being. Problematic social media use interventions, e.g., abstinence from social media, have the potential to improve users’ mental well-being. However, there is limited understanding of the effectiveness of this and other types of...

Background: There is some evidence that more social media use is related to poorer mental well-being and that social media use can become problematic when it starts to interfere with a person's daily life and mental well-being. To address this issue and improve users' mental well-being, social media use interventions (eg, abstinence from social me...

Background Learning tools using virtual patients can be used to teach clinical reasoning (CR) skills and overcome limitations of using face-to-face methods. However, the adoption of new tools is often challenging. The aim of this study was to explore UK medical educators’ perspectives of what influences the adoption of virtual patient learning tool...

Background: Cross-sectional studies have found a relationship between social media use and depression and anxiety in young people. However, few longitudinal studies using representative data and mediation analysis have been conducted to understand the causal pathways of this relationship.

Background: Poor social connectedness has been identified as a risk factor for poor mental health but there is a lack of standardisation in how it is measured. This systematic review aimed to identify suitable measures of social connectedness for use in UK adult general populations. Methods: Searches were undertaken in two stages to identify: (1) m...

BACKGROUND Problematic social media use occurs when social media interferes with a person’s daily life and mental well-being. Problematic social media use interventions, e.g., abstinence from social media, have the potential to improve users’ mental well-being. However, there is limited understanding of the effectiveness of this and other types of...

Background Cross-sectional studies have suggested an association between the use of social media and depression and anxiety in young people. We examined the longitudinal relationship between social media use and young people's mental health, and the role of self-esteem and social connectedness as potential mediators. Methods Adolescents (aged 10–1...

Background Cross-sectional studies have suggested a relationship between social media use and depression and anxiety in young people. We examined the longitudinal relationship between social media use and young people's mental health and the role of self-esteem and social connectedness as potential mediators. Methods The sample comprised 3,228 you...

Article in The Conversation outlining that it is how we use social media that can either benefit or negatively impact our mental health https://theconversation.com/social-media-how-to-protect-your-mental-health-187935

BACKGROUND Cross-sectional studies have found a relationship between social media use and depression and anxiety in young people, but few longitudinal studies using representative data and mediation analysis have been conducted to understand the causal pathways of this relationship. OBJECTIVE We aimed to examine the longitudinal relationship betwe...

Background: Cross-sectional studies have found a relationship between social media use and depression and anxiety in young people. However, few longitudinal studies using representative data and mediation analysis have been conducted to understand the causal pathways of this relationship. Objective: This study aims to examine the longitudinal re...

The COVID-19 ‘lockdown’ and multiple school closures disrupted the daily lives and routines of the entire UK population. However, adolescents were likely particularly impacted by such measures due to this time being key for social and educational development. This qualitative study explored young people’s experiences of lockdowns and school closure...

School closures and social distancing measures during the pandemic have disrupted young people’s daily routines and social relationships. We explored patterns of change in adolescent mental health and tested the relationship between pre-pandemic levels of school and peer connectedness and changes in mental health and well-being between the first lo...

Background: Simulation-Based Medical Education (SBME) methods can be used to teach clinical reasoning (CR) skills and overcome limitations of using face-to-face methods. However, adoption of SBME methods is often challenging. The aim of this study was to explore UK medical educators’ perspectives of what influences adoption of SBME methods to teach...

Background Use of virtual patient educational tools could fill the current gap in the teaching of clinical reasoning skills. However, there is a limited understanding of their effectiveness. The aim of this study was to synthesise the evidence to understand the effectiveness of virtual patient tools aimed at improving undergraduate medical students...

Background Use of virtual patient educational tools could fill the current gap in the teaching of clinical reasoning skills. However, there is a limited understanding of their effectiveness. The aim of this study was to synthesise the evidence to understand the effectiveness of virtual patient tools aimed at improving undergraduate medical students...

Background The COVID-19 pandemic, school closures, and social distancing measures have disrupted young people's daily routines, learning, and social relationships. We examine the changes in adolescent mental health over time and explore the relationship between how connected students felt to their school and peers before the pandemic and how this a...

Background Symptom recognition and timely referral in primary care are crucial for the early diagnosis of cancer. Physician assistants or associates (PAs) have been introduced in 18 healthcare systems across the world, with numbers increasing in some cases to address primary care physician shortages. Little is known about their impact on suspected...

BACKGROUND: Improving clinical reasoning skills—the thought processes used by clinicians to formulate appropriate questions and diagnoses—is essential for reducing missed diagnostic opportunities. The electronic Clinical Reasoning Educational Simulation Tool (eCREST) was developed to improve the clinical reasoning of future physicians. A feasibilit...

Background: Symptom recognition and timely referral in primary care are crucial for the early diagnosis of cancer. Physician assistants or associates (PAs) have been introduced in 15 healthcare systems across the world, with numbers increasing to address primary care physician shortages. Little is known about their impact on suspected cancer recogn...

BACKGROUND Improving clinical reasoning skills — the thought processes used by clinicians during consultations to formulate appropriate questions and diagnoses — is essential for reducing missed diagnostic opportunities. The electronic Clinical Reasoning Educational Simulation Tool (eCREST) was developed to improve future doctors’ clinical reasonin...

Background Improving clinical reasoning skills—the thought processes used by clinicians to formulate appropriate questions and diagnoses—is essential for reducing missed diagnostic opportunities. The electronic Clinical Reasoning Educational Simulation Tool (eCREST) was developed to improve the clinical reasoning of future physicians. A feasibility...

Background Social media is commonly used in public health interventions to promote cancer screening and early diagnosis, as it can rapidly deliver targeted public health messages to large numbers of people. However, there is currently little understanding of the breadth of social media interventions and evaluations, whether they are effective, and...

Background: Online patient simulations (OPS) are a novel method for teaching clinical reasoning skills to students and could contribute to reducing diagnostic errors. However, little is known about how best to implement and evaluate OPS in medical curricula. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility, acceptability and potential effects o...

BACKGROUND Social media is commonly used in public health interventions to promote cancer prevention and early diagnosis. It can rapidly deliver targeted public health messages to large numbers of people, including groups who may have more barriers to reporting symptoms and accessing cancer screening. However, there is currently little understandin...

Background: Online patient simulations (OPS) are a novel method for teaching clinical reasoning skills to students and could contribute to reducing diagnostic errors. However, little is known about how best to implement and evaluate OPS in medical curricula. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility, acceptability and potential effects of...

Background: Evidence suggests that problems in clinical reasoning skills – the thought processes required to make clinical decisions – are the leading cause of diagnostic errors, which can lead to significant patient harm. Theories of learning and clinical reasoning have indicated online patient simulations (OPS) could be a novel approach to improv...

In this In Practice report, we describe a novel educational resource using online patient simulations— the electronic Clinical Reasoning Educational Simulation Tool (eCREST). eCREST seeks to improve the quality of diagnoses from common respiratory symptoms seen in primary care by focusing on developing clinical reasoning skills. It has recently bee...

The best chance from the start explores the experiences of young cancer patients and parents of finding out that they, or their child, had cancer, with a particular focus on their experiences of primary care. It also provides an insight into some of the barriers that GPs face in identifying suspected cancer in children and young people. This report...

Purpose To identify from a health-care professionals' perspective whether smartphones are used by children and adolescents with acquired brain injury as memory aids; what factors predict smartphone use and what barriers prevent the use of smartphones as memory aids by children and adolescents. Method A cross-sectional online survey was undertaken w...