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Dr Chris Paton

chris-paton-photo-bio-2020-1xSenior Lecturer

Dr Chris Paton is the course director for the new online Digital Health postgraduate programmes (PGDipDigHeal and PGCertDigHeal) at the University of Otago and the head of the Global Heath Informatics research group at the University of Oxford, working on research projects based in Kenya and Vietnam.

Room 3.38, Otago Business School
Tel +64 3 479 8423
Email digitalhealth@otago.ac.nz

Background 

Following his training as a medical doctor in the UK, he moved into Clinical Informatics and worked as a Clinical Lecturer at Otago and as a Senior Research Fellow at the National Institute for Health Innovation in New Zealand before moving back to the UK to join the University of Oxford. He received his Fellowship of the UK Faculty of Clinical Informatics in 2018 and became an Official Fellow of Reuben College, Oxford in 2019.

He is the Principal Investigator for the LIFE (Life-saving Instruction for Emergencies) project. LIFE is a smartphone-based simulation training platform that uses a virtual hospital environment to simulate medical emergencies to train healthcare workers. Launched in April 2019, LIFE has now been downloaded by thousands of healthcare workers in Africa and Dr Paton is now leading a clinical trial of the platform in Kenya funded by GCRF. In Vietnam, Dr Paton is a co-investigator on a Wellcome Trust Innovation Flagship based in Ho Chi Minh City that will develop and implement new AI-based monitoring devices in intensive care units (ICUs) in South-East Asia.

Dr Paton has served as a digital health consultant the New Zealand Government and the Pathways for Prosperity Commission in the UK. He co-founded and chaired the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) social media working group and is currently Chair of the IMIA open source working group. He is Associate Editor of “Digital Health Journal” (Sage Publishing) and “BMC: Medical Informatics and Decision Making”. He is a peer reviewer on digital health topics for scientific journals including Nature, PLOS One, JAMIA, JMIR, ANZJPH and serves as an expert grant reviewer for the UK’s Medical Research Council and the Research Council of Norway.

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Papers

  • DIGH701 Principles of Digital Health and Informatics
  • DIGH703 Digital Health Technologies and Systems

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Publications

Hernandez, B., Ming, D., Ho, C., Nguyen Quang, H., Luu Phuoc, A., Dong Thi, H. T., … Paton, C., … Georgiou, P. (2023). A human-centred design approach towards development of a digital clinical decision-support system for management of hospitalised patients with dengue. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 130(Suppl. 2), (pp. S87). doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2023.04.217

Nguyen, Q. H., Ming, D. K., Luu, A. P., Chanh, H. Q., Tam, D. T. H., Truong, N. T., … Paton, C., … on behalf of the Vietnam ICU Translational Applications Laboratory (VITAL) Investigators, including . (2023). Mapping patient pathways and understanding clinical decision-making in dengue management to inform the development of digital health tools. BMC Medical Informatics & Decision Making, 23, 24. doi: 10.1186/s12911-023-02116-4

Paton, C. (2022, December). Modelling the usability of digital health systems for safe and effective patient care. Verbal presentation at the Health Informatics New Zealand (HiNZ) Conference, Rotorua, New Zealand.

Wlasak, W., Zwanenburg, S. P., & Paton, C. (2022). Supporting autonomous motivation for physical activity with chatbots during COVID-19: A factorial experiment. JMIR Formative Research. Advance online publication. doi: 10.2196/38500

Paton, C. (2022, November). Life-saving instruction for emergencies (LIFE): A mobile and virtual reality simulation training programme for healthcare workers in Kenya. Verbal presentation at the Otago Global Health Institute (OGHI) 14th Annual Conference: Reimagining Partnerships, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Paton, C. (2014). Analysis and linkage of data from patient-controlled self-monitoring devices and personal health records. In M. Househ, E. Borycki & A. Kushniruk (Eds.), Social media and mobile technologies for healthcare. (pp. 227-236). IGI Global. doi: 10.4018/978-1-4666-6150-9.ch013

Chapter in Book - Research

Nguyen, Q. H., Ming, D. K., Luu, A. P., Chanh, H. Q., Tam, D. T. H., Truong, N. T., … Paton, C., … on behalf of the Vietnam ICU Translational Applications Laboratory (VITAL) Investigators, including . (2023). Mapping patient pathways and understanding clinical decision-making in dengue management to inform the development of digital health tools. BMC Medical Informatics & Decision Making, 23, 24. doi: 10.1186/s12911-023-02116-4

Journal - Research Article

Lu, P., Ghiasi, S., Hagenah, J., Hai, H. B., Hao, N. V., Khanh, P. N. Q., … VITAL Consortium, including Paton, C., … Zhu, T. (2022). Classification of tetanus severity in intensive-care settings for low-income countries using wearable sensing. Sensors, 22, 6554. doi: 10.3390/ s22176554

Journal - Research Article

Muinga, N., Abejirinde, I.-O. O., Benova, L., Paton, C., English, M., & Zweekhorst, M. (2022). Implementing a comprehensive newborn monitoring chart: Barriers, enablers, and opportunities. PLOS Global Public Health, 2(7), e0000624. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000624

Journal - Research Article

Nkolika Ezenwa, B., Umoren, R., Bamikeolu Fajolu, I., Hippe, D. S., Bucher, S., Purkayastha, S., … Paton, C., & Chinyere Ezeaka, V. (2022). Using mobile virtual reality simulation to prepare for in-person Helping Babies Breathe training: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial (the eHBB/mHBS Trial). JMIR Medical Education, 8(3), e37297. doi: 10.2196/37297

Journal - Research Article

Vasey, B., Nagendran, M., Campbell, B., Clifton, D. A., Collins, G. S., Denaxas, S., … DECIDE-AI expert group, including Paton, C. (2022). Reporting guideline for the early-stage clinical evaluation of decision support systems driven by artificial intelligence: DECIDE-AI [Consensus statement]. Nature Medicine, 28, 924-933. doi: 10.1038/s41591-022-01772-9

Journal - Research Article

Wambua, S., Malla, L., Mbevi, G., Kandiah, J., Nwosu, A.-P., Tuti, T., Paton, C., … Okiro, E. A. (2022). Quantifying the indirect impact of COVID-19 pandemic on utilisation of outpatient and immunisation services in Kenya: a longitudinal study using interrupted time series analysis. BMJ Open, 12, e055815. doi: 10.1136/ bmjopen-2021-055815

Journal - Research Article

Wlasak, W., Zwanenburg, S. P., & Paton, C. (2022). Supporting autonomous motivation for physical activity with chatbots during COVID-19: A factorial experiment. JMIR Formative Research. Advance online publication. doi: 10.2196/38500

Journal - Research Article

Kerdegari, H., Phung, N. T. H., McBride, A., Pisani, L., Nguyen, H. V., Duong, T. B., … VITAL Consortium, including Paton, C. (2021). B-line detection and localization in lung ultrasound videos using spatiotemporal attention. Applied Sciences, 11, 11697. doi: 10.3390/app112411697

Journal - Research Article

Muinga, N., Paton, C., Gicheha, E., Omoke, S., Aberjirinde, I.-O. O., Benova, L., … Zweekhorst, M. (2021). Using a human-centred design approach to develop a comprehensive newborn monitoring chart for inpatient care in Kenya. BMC Health Services Research, 21, 1010. doi: 10.1186/s12913-021-07030-x

Journal - Research Article

Tuti, T., Paton, C., & Winters, N. (2021). The counterintuitive self-regulated learning behaviours of healthcare providers from low-income settings. Computers & Education, 166, 104136. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104136

Journal - Research Article

Umoren, R., Butcher, S., Hippe, D. S., Nkolika Ezenwa, B., Bamikeolu Fajolu, I., Okwako, F. M., … Paton, C., … Esamai, F. (2021). eHBB: a randomised controlled trial of virtual reality or video for neonatal resuscitation refresher training in healthcare workers in resource-scarce settings. BMJ Open, 11, e048506. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-048506

Journal - Research Article

Wambua, S., Malla, L., Mbevi, G., Nwosu, A.-P., Tuti, T., Paton, C., … Okiro, E. A. (2021). The indirect impact of COVID-19 pandemic on inpatient admissions in 204 Kenyan hospitals: An interrupted time series analysis. PLOS Global Public Health, 1(11), e0000029. doi: 10.1371/journal. pgph.0000029

Journal - Research Article

Hagel, C., Paton, C., Mbevi, G., English, M., on behalf of the Clinical Information Network (CIN) information systems interest group. (2020). Data for tracking SDGs: Challenges in capturing neonatal data from hospitals in Kenya. BMJ Global Health, 5(3), e002108. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2019-002108

Journal - Research Article

Muinga, N., Magare, S., Monda, J., English, M., Fraser, H., Powell, J., & Paton, C. (2020). Digital health Systems in Kenyan public hospitals: A mixed-methods survey. BMC Medical Informatics & Decision Making, 20(1), 2. doi: 10.1186/s12911-019-1005-7

Journal - Research Article

Tuti, T., Winters, N., Edgecombe, H., Muinga, N., Wanyama, C., English, M., & Paton, C. (2020). Evaluation of adaptive feedback in a smartphone-based game on health care providers’ learning gain: Randomized controlled trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(7), e17100. doi: 10.2196/17100

Journal - Research Article

Paton, C., & Kobayashi, S. (2019). An open science approach to artificial intelligence in healthcare. Yearbook of Medical Informatics, 28(1), 47-51. doi: 10.1055/s-0039-1677898

Journal - Research Article

Winters, N., Langer, L., Nduku, P., Robson, J., O'Donovan, J., Maulik, P., Paton, C., … Nagraj, S. (2019). Using mobile technologies to support the training of community health workers in low-income and middle-income countries: Mapping the evidence. BMJ Global Health, 4(4), e001421. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2019-001421

Journal - Research Article

Kobayashi, S., Kane, T. B., & Paton, C. (2018). The privacy and security implications of open data in healthcare. Yearbook of Medical Informatics, 27(1), 41-47. doi: 10.1055/s-0038-1641201

Journal - Research Article

Muinga, N., Monda, J., Kamau, O., Houston, S., Fraser, H., Powell, J., … Paton, C. (2018). Implementing an open source electronic health record system in Kenyan health care facilities: Case study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 20(4), e22. doi: 10.2196/medinform.8403

Journal - Research Article

Paton, C., & Karopka, T. (2017). The role of free/libre and open source software in learning health systems. Yearbook of Medical Informatics, 26(1), 53-58. doi: 10.15265/IY-2017-006

Journal - Research Article

Tuti, T., Nzinga, J., Njoroge, M., Brown, B., Peek, N., English, M., Paton, C., & van der Veer, S. N. (2017). A systematic review of electronic audit and feedback: Intervention effectiveness and use of behaviour change theory. Implementation Science, 12, 61. doi: 10.1186/s13012-017-0590-z

Journal - Research Article

Chantler, T., Paton, C., Velardo, C., Triantafyllidis, A., Shah, S. A., Stoppani, E., … Rahimi, K. (2016). Creating connections: The development of a mobile-health monitoring system for heart failure: Qualitative findings from a usability cohort study. Digital Health, 2. doi: 10.1177/2055207616671461

Journal - Research Article

Edgcombe, H., Paton, C., & English, M. (2016). Enhancing emergency care in low-income countries using mobile technology-based training tools. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 101(12), 1149-1152. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2016-310875

Journal - Research Article

English, M., Irimu, G., Agweyu, A., Gathara, D., Oliwa, J., Ayieko, P., … Paton, C., … Forrest, C. B. (2016). Building learning health systems to accelerate research and improve outcomes of clinical care in low- and middle-income countries. PLoS Medicine, 13(4), e1001991. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001991

Journal - Research Article

Kumar, P., Paton, C., & Kirigia, D. (2016). I've got 99 problems but a phone ain't one: Electronic and mobile health in low and middle income countries. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 101(10), 974-979. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2015-308556

Journal - Research Article

Tuti, T., Bitok, M., Malla, L., Paton, C., Muinga, N., Gathara, D., … on behalf of the Clinical Information Network. (2016). Improving documentation of clinical care within a clinical information network: An essential initial step in efforts to understand and improve care in Kenyan hospitals. BMJ Global Health, 1(1), e000028. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2016-000028

Journal - Research Article

Tuti, T., Bitok, M., Paton, C., Makone, B., Malla, L., Muinga, N., … English, M. (2016). Innovating to enhance clinical data management using non-commercial and open source solutions across a multi-center network supporting inpatient pediatric care and research in Kenya. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 23(1), 184-192. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocv028

Journal - Research Article

Rahimi, K., Velardo, C., Triantafyllidis, A., Conrad, N., Shah, S. A., Chantler, T., … Paton, C., … on behalf of the SUPPORT-HF Investigators. (2015). A user-centred home monitoring and self-management system for patients with heart failure: A multicentre cohort study. European Heart Journal: Quality of Care & Clinical Outcomes, 1(2), 66-71. doi: 10.1093/ehjqcco/qcv013

Journal - Research Article

Triantafyllidis, A., Velardo, C., Chantler, T., Shah, S. A., Paton, C., Khorshidi, R., … on behalf of the SUPPORT-HF Investigators. (2015). A personalised mobile-based home monitoring system for heart failure: The SUPPORT-HF Study. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 84(10), 743-753. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2015.05.003

Journal - Research Article

Glover, M., Kira, A., Gentles, D., Cowie, N., Paton, C., & Moetara, W. (2014). The WERO group stop smoking competition: Main outcomes of a pre- and post- study. BMC Public Health, 14, 599. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-599

Journal - Research Article

Paton, C., Hansen, M., Fernandez-Luque, L., & Lau, A. Y. S. (2012). Self-tracking, social media and personal health records for patient empowered self-care: Contribution of the IMIA Social Media Working Group. Yearbook of Medical Informatics, 7, 16-24. doi: 10.1055/s-0038-1639425

Journal - Research Article

Mabotuwana, T., Warren, J., Elley, C. R., Kennelly, J., Paton, C., Wai, K. C., & Wells, S. (2011). Quality indicators to measure blood pressure management over a time interval. Informatics in Primary Care, 18(3), 149-156.

Journal - Research Article

Paton, C., Bamidis, P. D., Eysenbach, G., Hansen, M., & Cabrer, M. (2011). Experience in the use of social media in medical and health education: Contribution of the IMIA Social Media Working Group. Yearbook of Medical Informatics, 6(1), 21-29. doi: 10.1055/s-0038-1638732

Journal - Research Article

Atalag, K., Kingsford, D., Paton, C., & Warren, J. (2010). Putting health record interoperability standards to work. Electronic Journal of Health Informatics, 5(1), e1.

Journal - Research Article

Mabotuwana, T., Warren, J., Elley, C. R., Kennelly, J., Paton, C., Warren, D., … Wells, S. (2010). Use of interval based quality indicators in blood pressure management to enhance quality of pay for performance incentives: Comparison to two indicators from the Quality and Outcomes Framework. Quality in Primary Care, 18(2), 93-101.

Journal - Research Article

Warren, J. R., Day, K. J., Paton, C., Warren, D. E., Mabotuwana, T. D. S., Gu, Y., … Reedy, W. (2010). Implementations of health information technologies with consumers as users: Findings from a systematic review. Health Care & Informatics Review Online, 14(3), 2-28.

Journal - Research Article

Warren, J., Goodyear-Smith, F., Miller, D., Warren, D., Paton, C., Mabotuwana, T., & Arroll, B. (2010). An integrated electronic lifestyle and mental health patient self-assessment for general practice: Design and initial field study. Health Care & Informatics Review Online, 14(4), 18-25.

Journal - Research Article

Paton, C., & Malik, M. A. (2008). Open source and free, web-based medical software. Health Care & Informatics Review Online, 12(2), 17-24. Retrieved from http://www.hinz.org.nz/journal/2008/6

Journal - Research Article

McCool, J., Dobson, R., Whittaker, R., & Paton, C. (2022). Mobile health (mHealth) in low- and middle-income countries. Annual Review of Public Health, 43, 525-539. doi: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-052620-093850

Journal - Research Other

Paton, C., Braa, J., Muhire, A., Marco-Ruiz, L., Kobayashi, S., Fraser, H., … Marcelo, A. (2022). Open source digital health software for resilient, accessible and equitable healthcare systems: Contribution from the IMIA Open Source Working Group. Yearbook of Medical Informatics. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1055/s-0042-1742508

Journal - Research Other

Tran, D. M., Thwaites, C. L., Nuil, J. I. V., McKnight, J., Luu, A. P., & Paton, C. (2022). Digital health policy and programs for hospital care in Vietnam: Scoping review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 24(2), e32392. doi: 10.2196/32392

Journal - Research Other

Wanyama, C., Nagraj, S., Muinga, N., Tuti, T., Edgcombe, H., Geniets, A., … Paton, C. (2022). Lessons from the design, development and implementation of a three-dimensional (3D) neonatal resuscitation training smartphone application: Life-saving Instruction for Emergencies (LIFE app). Advances in Simulation, 7, 2. doi: 10.1186/s41077-021-00197-7

Journal - Research Other

Fernandez-Luque, L., Kushniruk, A. W., Georgiou, A., Basu, A., Petersen, C., Ronquillo, C., Paton, C., … Zhu, X. (2021). Evidence-based health informatics as the foundation for the COVID-19 response: A joint call for action. Methods of Information in Medicine, 59, 183-192. doi: 10.1055/s-0041-1726414

Journal - Research Other

Kobayashi, S., Falcón, L., Fraser, H., Braa, J., Amarakoon, P., Marcelo, A., & Paton, C. (2021). Using open source, open data, and civic technology to address the COVID-19 pandemic and infodemic. Yearbook of Medical Informatics, 30(1), 38-43. doi: 10.1055/s-0041-1726488

Journal - Research Other

Muinga, N., Abejirinde, I.-O. O., Paton, C., English, M., & Zweekhorst, M. (2021). Designing paper-based records to improve the quality of nursing documentation in hospitals: A scoping review. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 30, 56-71. doi: 10.1111/jocn.15545

Journal - Research Other

Paton, C., Kushniruk, A. W., Borycki, E. M., English, M., & Warren, J. (2021). Improving the usability and safety of digital health systems: The role of predictive human-computer interaction modeling. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(5), e25281. doi: 10.2196/25281

Journal - Research Other

McCool, J., Dobson, R., Muinga, N., Paton, C., Pagliari, C., Agawal, S., … Whittaker, R. (2020). Factors influencing the sustainability of digital health interventions in low-resource settings: Lessons from five countries. Journal of Global Health, 10(2), 020396. doi: 10.7189/jogh.10.020396

Journal - Research Other

McKnight, J., Wilson, M. L., Banning, P., Paton, C., Bahati, F., English, M., & Fleming, K. (2020). Use of LOINC for interoperability between organisations poses a risk to safety: Authors' reply. Lancet Digital Health, 2(11), e570. doi: 10.1016/S2589-7500(20)30247-8

Journal - Research Other

McKnight, J., Wilson, M. L., Banning, P., Paton, C., Bahati, F., English, M., & Fleming, K. (2019). Effective coding is key to the development and use of the WHO Essential Diagnostics List. Lancet Digital Health, 1(8), e387-e388. doi: 10.1016/S2589-7500(19)30196-7

Journal - Research Other

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