Dr Purva Abhyankar

Lecturer in Psychology

Psychology University of Stirling, FK9 4LA

Dr Purva Abhyankar

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About me

About me

Lecturer in Health Psychology and an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

I am a health psychologist by training and have many years of research experience in applied health and health services research. My research aims to help people make better decisions about their healthcare and actively manage their health and illness by engaging in healthy behaviours. It draws on the knowledge from psychological theories underpinning human behaviour and decision making, applied to improve health and healthcare delivery. I am an inter-disciplinary and mixed methods researcher, equally comfortable with qualitative and quantitative methodology. 

I joined the Division of Psychology, in FNS at Stirling in June 2021. Prior to this, I spent nearly 6 years as a lecturer in the Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport, teaching several aspects of Health Psychology (e.g. health behaviour change, clinical and shared decision making), and a wide range of research methods to nurses, paramedics and allied health professionals.

Within Psychology, I lead the third year undergraduate module Clinical and Health Psychology, along with contributing to teaching on final year electives, MSc Health Psychology and UG, PG and doctoral supervision.

I am also the convener and University representative for the Health, Families, Relationships and Demographic Change Pathway for ESRC's Doctoral Training Pathway.

Research (4)

My research interest center on following areas:

Patient involvement in healthcare decision making Patient decision support interventions Person centred self-management support Health promotion/Illness prevention/Health behaviour change Implementation and evaluation of complex interventions Realist evaluation

I work with colleagues from the International Patient Decisions Aids Standards Collaboration see this link towards enhancing the quality and effectiveness of patient decision aid tools for enabling shared decision making. Some of the ongoing and past project are:

2019 Update of empirical and theoretical basis for - Implementation of patient decision aids - through rapid realist review.
2017 Development of guidelines for reporting evaluation studies of patient decision aids (SUNDAE) using Delphi consensus methods. 2013 Update of empirical and theoretical basis for - Values Clarification methods and Balancing information about options - through systematic review.

Other projects I have worked on in the past are: 2014-2015 Development of Interventions to reduce patient delay with symptoms of Acute Coronary Syndrome: identifying optimal content and mode of delivery- RAPiD 2012-2014 Asthma Goal Study - A feasibility RCT of a goal-setting intervention in patients with active asthma 2011-2012 Preventing Depression and Improving Awareness through Networking in the EU (PREDI-NU) - development of an online CBT based self-help intervention 2008-2011 Realist evaluation of the Keeping Childbirth Natural and Dynamic (KCND) programme 2007-2008 Doctors' use of Patient Reported Outcome Data in oncology consultations 2003-2004 Implementation and impact of community based healthcare system in rural India

I am keen to expand my research in above areas to Indian populations and settings. I am happy to discuss these ideas with potential academic collaborators or postgraduate research students with similar interests.

Outputs (32)

Outputs

Article

Farquharson B, Johnston M, Williams B, Smith K, Dombrowski S, Jones C, Treweek S, Dougall N, Grindle M, Savinc J & Abyhankar P (2022) Reducing patient delay in acute coronary syndrome: Randomized controlled trial testing effect of behaviour change intervention on intentions to seek help. British Journal of Health Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12619


Article

King E, Cheyne H, Abhyankar P, Elders A, Grindle M, Hapca A, Jones C, O’Carroll R, Steele M & Williams B (2022) Promoting smoking cessation during pregnancy: A feasibility and pilot trial of a digital storytelling intervention delivered via text-messaging. Patient Education and Counseling. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2021.12.019


Article

Joseph-Williams N, Abhyankar P, Boland L, Bravo P, Brenner AT, Brodney S, Coulter A, Giguere A, Hoffman A, Körner M, Langford A, Légaré F, Matlock D, Moumjid N & Munro S (2021) What Works in Implementing Patient Decision Aids in Routine Clinical Settings? A Rapid Realist Review and Update from the International Patient Decision Aid Standards Collaboration. Medical Decision Making, 41 (7), pp. 907-937. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272989x20978208


Article

Abhyankar P, Wilkinson J, Berry K, Wane S, Uny I, Aitchison P, Duncan E, Calveley E, Mason H, Guerrero K, Tincello D, McClurg D, Elders A, Hagen S & Maxwell M (2020) Implementing pelvic floor muscle training for women with pelvic organ prolapse: a realist evaluation of different delivery models. BMC Health Services Research, 20 (1), Art. No.: 910. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05748-8


Article

Farquharson B, Abhyankar P, Smith K, Dombrowski SU, Treweek S, Dougall N, Williams B & Johnston M (2019) Reducing delay in patients with acute coronary syndrome and other time-critical conditions: a systematic review to identify the behaviour change techniques associated with effective interventions. Open Heart, 6 (1), Art. No.: e000975. https://doi.org/10.1136/openhrt-2018-000975


Article

Sepucha KR, Abhyankar P, Hoffman AS, Bekker HL, LeBlanc A, Levin CA, Ropka M, Shaffer VA, Sheridan SL, Stacey D, Stalmeier P, Vo H, Wills C & Thomson RG (2018) Standards for UNiversal reporting of patient Decision Aid Evaluation studies: the development of SUNDAE Checklist. BMJ Quality and Safety, 27 (5), pp. 380-388. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2017-006986


Article

Hoffman AS, Sepucha KR, Abhyankar P, Sheridan SL, Bekker HL, LeBlanc A, Levin CA, Ropka M, Shaffer VA, Stacey D, Stalmeier P, Vo H, Wills C & Thomson RG (2018) Explanation and elaboration of the Standards for UNiversal reporting of patient Decision Aid Evaluations (SUNDAE) guidelines: examples of reporting SUNDAE items from patient decision aid evaluation literature. BMJ Quality and Safety, 27 (5), pp. 389-412. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2017-006985


Article

Maxwell M, Semple K, Wane S, Elders A, Duncan E, Abhyankar P, Wilkinson JE, Tincello D, Calveley E, MacFarlane M, McClurg D, Guerrero K, Mason H & Hagen S (2017) PROPEL: implementation of an evidence based pelvic floor muscle training intervention for women with pelvic organ prolapse: a realist evaluation and outcomes study protocol. BMC Health Services Research, 17 (1), Art. No.: 843. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-017-2795-x


Article

Farquharson B, Johnston M, Smith K, Williams B, Treweek S, Dombrowski SU, Dougall N, Abhyankar P & Grindle M (2017) Reducing patient delay in Acute Coronary Syndrome (RAPiD): Research protocol for a web-based Randomised Controlled Trial examining the effect of a behaviour change intervention. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 73 (5), pp. 1220-1234. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13191


Article

Hoskins G, Williams B, Abhyankar P, Donnan P, Duncan E, Pinnock H, van der Pol M, Rauchhaus P, Taylor A & Sheikh A (2016) Achieving Good Outcomes for Asthma Living (GOAL): mixed methods feasibility and pilot cluster randomised controlled trial of a practical intervention for eliciting, setting and achieving goals for adults with asthma. Trials, 17 (1), Art. No.: 584. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-016-1684-7


Article

Abhyankar P, Velikova G, Summers BA & Bekker HL (2016) Identifying components in consent information needed to support informed decision making about trial participation: an interview study with women managing cancer. Social Science and Medicine, 161, pp. 83-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.05.040


Article

Abhyankar P, Cheyne H, Maxwell M, Harris FM & McCourt C (2013) A realist evaluation of a normal birth programme. Evidence Based Midwifery, 11 (4), pp. 112-119. http://www.rcm.org.uk/ebm/volume-11-2013/volume-11-issue-4/a-realist-evaluation-of-a-normal-birth-programme/


Article

Fagerlin A, Pignone M, Abhyankar P, Col N, Feldman-Stewart D, Gavaruzzi T, Kryworuchko J, Levin CA, Pieterse A, Reyna V, Stiggelbout A, Scherer LD, Wills C & Witteman H (2013) Clarifying Values: An updated review. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 13 (Suppl 2), Art. No.: S8. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6947-13-S2-S8


Book Chapter

Fagerlin A, Pignone M, Abhyankar P, Col N, Feldman-Stewart D, Gavaruzzi T, Kryworuchko J, Levin CA, Pieterse A, Reyna V, Stiggelbout A, Scherer L, Wills C & Witteman H (2012) Clarifying and Expressing Values. In: Volk R & Llewellyn-Thomas H (eds.) Update of the International Patient Decision Aids Standards (IPDAS) Collaboration's Background Document. IPDAS Collaboration. http://ipdas.ohri.ca/resources.html


Book Chapter

Stalmeier P, Volk RJ, Abhyankar P, Blumenthal-Barby J, Bravo P, Buchholz A, Col N, Ozanne E & Vidal DC (2012) Balancing the presentation of information and options. In: Volk R & Llewellyn-Thomas H (eds.) Update of the International Patient Decision Aids Standards (IPDAS) Collaboration's Background Document. IPDAS Collaboration. http://ipdas.ohri.ca/resources.html


Conference Paper (unpublished)

Greenhalgh J, Abhyankar P, McCluskey S, Takeuchi E & Velikova G (2011) How do doctors integrate HRQoL data into oncology consultations? [(2011) In: International Society for Quality of Life Research 18th Annual Conference, October 26-29 2011, Denver, Colorado. (Submitted)]. International Society for Quality of Life Research 18th Annual Conference, Denver, Colorado, 26.10.2011-29.10.2011. http://www.isoqol.org/