Ms. Paula Hicks

• P. Hicks, K. McNally, R. McGrath, J. Grimson, Creating an online environment for children in hospital, Proceedings of 6th Annual Conference HISI , [Health Informatics Society of Ireland], 2001, 2001Conference Paper, 2001
• E. Curtis, P. Hicks and R. Redmond, Nursing students experience and attitudes to computers: A survey of a cohort of students on a Bachelor in Nursing Studies course, Proceedings of 7th Annual Conference HISI , 7th Annual Conference HISI , Dublin, 2002, 2002Conference Paper, 2002
• K. Tierney, P. Hicks, J. Grimson, A. Daly, S. Whelan, O. Smith, Solas - an interactive community for children with cancer , Researching Children's Worlds Conference: sharing knowledge to improve action, Galway, November 2007, 2007Oral Presentation, 2007
• P. Hicks, J. Grimson, A. Daly, S. Whelan, O.Smith., Solas - an interactive community for children with cancer, Proceedings of HISI [Health Informatics Society of Ireland], 12th Annual Conference and Scientific Symposium, Dublin, 2007Conference Paper, 2007
• P. Hicks, G. Woods, G. Power, J. Grimson , Solas and Áit Eile: Experiences of developing Online environments for children in hospital, Hospital Organisation of Pedagogues in Europe (HOPE) in conjunction with HOSTA, the London Hospital Headteachers' Association - Getting Better Together, Institute of Child Health, Great Ormond Street Hospital,, London, November, 2006, 2006Conference Paper, 2006
• Curtis, E., Hicks, P., Redmond, R., Nursing students experiecne and attitudes to computers: A survey of a cohort of students on a Bachelor in Nursing Studies course., ITIN The Nursing Specialist Group of the British Computer Society, 14, (2), 2002, p7 - 17Journal Article, 2002
• Hicks, P., McGrath, R., McKeown, J., McNally, K., Grimson, J., Ait Eile, Another World for HCI, European Research Consortium for Informatics and mathematics [Special Theme - Human Computer Interaction], 46, 2001Journal Article, 2001
• Hicks, P., Grimson, J., Daly, A., Whelan, S., Smith, O. , Solas - an interactive community for chldren with cancer, 6th International Cancer Conference 2008: Striving for Success in Cancer Care, Dublin, 7-9 May, 2008Poster, 2008
• Hicks, P., Grimson, J., Daly, A., Whelan, S., Smith, O.,, Solas - an interactive community for children with cancer, Fifth International Conference on Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Medicine, London, 9-10 June, 2008Poster, 2008
• Hicks, P., Grimson, J., Daly, A., Whelan, S., Smith, O. , Solas - an interactive community for children with cancer, 6th Congress of HOPE (Hospital Organisation of Pedagogues in Europe): Facing Reality and Dreams, Tampere, 4-7 June, 2008Conference Paper, 2008, URL
• Hicks, P., Woods, G., Power, G., Grimson, J.,, Solas: An online Environment to Facilitate Social Connectivity and Creativity, International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS) International Conference on Mobile Learning, Dublin, July, 2006Conference Paper, 2006
• Informatics in Health Care in, editor(s)Anne-Marie Brady , 'Leadership and Management in the Irish Health Service, Ireland, Gill and Macmillan, 2010, pp317-345 , [Paula Hicks]Book Chapter, 2010
• V. Lambert, J. Coad, P. Hicks, M. Glacken, Physical Places and Social Spaces for Young Children in Hospital, Dublin, February, 2010Report, 2010
• P. Hicks, O. Smith, J. Grimson, Solas, an interactive community for children with cancer, Dublin, Haematology Association of Ireland Nurses' Group, April, 2008Report, 2008
• Innovative Tools to Communicate with Young People in, editor(s)Dr. V. Lambert, Prof. T. Long, D. Kelleher , Communication Skills for Child Health Nurses, England, Open University Press, 2012, pp49 - 63, [P. Hicks, F. Binns]Book Chapter, 2012, URL
• H. Hugel, S. Clancy, P. Hicks, The Puppet Portal: Artistic Dialogue and Creative Communication, Vital Signs: Arts & Health in Context, Dublin, 15th October, 2009, 2009Oral Presentation, 2009
• P. Hicks, O. Smith, J. Grimson, Building virtual communities and social networking applications for patients and consumers, Medicine 2.0, Toronto, 17-18 Sept. 2009, 2009Oral Presentation, 2009
• P. Hicks, O. Smith, J. Grimson, 5th World Summit on Children and media (5WSCM), 23-28 March 2007, In:Innovations and Special Projects - Ireland - Solas and Ait Eile, 2007, JohannesburgMeetings /Conferences Organised, 2007
• S. Whelan, A. Daly, P. Hicks, Solas: a psycho-social intervention for chronically ill children, health4life - Recent Research with Children in Ireland: Challenges and implications, Dublin, June 2006, 2006Oral Presentation, 2006
• P. Hicks, K. McNally, R. McGrath, M. Commins, J. Grimson, Ait Eile - A virtual community for children in hospital, Irish Assoication of Teachers in Special Education (IATSE) Conference 2003 - Special Needs: Demand & Delivery, Dublin, May 2003, 2003Oral Presentation, 2003
• J. Grimson, P. Hicks, R. McGrath, K. McNally, J. McKeown, D. Commiskey, Ait Eile - a virtual environment for children in hospital, Dublin, The Irish Scientist, 2002, 190, 190Report, 2002
• V. Lambert, J. Coad, P. Hicks, M. Glacken, The Voice of Young Children - Physical Places and Social Spaces for Young Children in Hospital, A New Children's Hospital - A new future for children's health services in Ireland, Dublin, 18th June, 2010, 2010Oral Presentation, 2010
• P. Hicks, G. Woods, G. Power, J. Grimson , Áit Eile - (Another World) - Support and Communication for Children in Hospital, International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS) International Confernece eSociety, Dublin, 2006, pp378 - 380Conference Paper, 2006
• Lambert V, Matthews A, Hicks P, Boran L, Devane D., Virtual reality simulation for reducing pain in children (Protocol)., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013, (8), 2013, p10.1002/14651858.CD010686Journal Article, 2013, DOI , URL
• Lambert V, Coad J, Hicks P, Glacken M., Social spaces for young children in hospital, Child: Care, Health and Development, 2013Journal Article, 2013, DOI , URL
• Hicks, P., Grimson, J. Smith, O., With a little help from my friends: experiences of building a virtual community for children with cancer, The Journal of Community Informatics: Special Issue: Community Informatics for Improving Health, 9, (2), 2013, p1 - 15Journal Article, 2013, URL , TARA - Full Text
• Lambert V, Coad J, Hicks P, Glacken M., Young children's perspectives of ideal physical design features for hospital built environments, Journal of Child Health Care, 2013Journal Article, 2013, DOI , URL
• Sociotechnical Implications of Promoting Social Connected Well-being through Technology in Healthcare Environments in, editor(s)Guglielmo Trentin and Vincenza Benigno , Network Technology and Homebound Inclusive Education, New York, Nova Science Publishers, 2013, pp41 - 68, [Hicks, P. and Lambert, V.]Book Chapter, 2013

The principal area of research relates to the use of technology to address the psycho social needs of children with chronic or serious illness. A particular focus is on the use of online communities to support communication, information provision, social inclusion and entertainment. She has led two key research projects exploring this use of technology, Ait Eile (Another World) www.aiteile.ie and Solas www.solas.ie - both of which have received awards for their contribution to this area. She has also developed modules and lectured to various programmes in the area of Health Informatics.

• Title

  Ait Eile - online community for children in hospital
  Summary

  Áit Eile is an online community for children in hospital which facilitates young patients to communicate with each other via e mail, video conferencing and live chat over a secure Internet connection. Research has shown that children in hospital, especially those suffering from a chronic illness, can experience feelings of isolation, change in family dynamics, depression and loss of peer interaction. Áit Eile is based in hospitals schools throughout the country and offers the potential for hospital-to-hospital, hospital to home, hospital to school and even home-to-home connection allowing parents and children never to be more than a click away. Through the web portal the system provides access to activities and information, such as arts & crafts, educational opportunities and links to favorite web sites with appropriate content. The security of the system has been a top priority and appropriate solutions have been incorporated into the overall system design. Currently linking eleven sites throughout the country; the National Children's Hospital, in Tallaght, Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, Cork University Hospital, Temple Street Hospital, National Rehabilitation Hospital, Beaumont Hospital Dublin, Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh, Cork, Mid Western Regional Hospital, Limerick, Sligo General Hospital, University College Hospital, Galway and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda.
  Funding Agency

  Department of Health and Children / HSE
  Date From

  2001
  Date To

  ongoing
• Title

  Awareness Programme on the use of Information Technology in Health Care
  Summary

  A European funded project which took the form of a multimedia presentation to raise awareness of ICT in healthcare. It was presented in 50 locations around Ireland to a pan health audience.
  Funding Agency

  European Union
  Date From

  1996
  Date To

  1999
• Title

  Physical Places and Social Spaces for young Children in Hospital
  Summary

  This consultation process explored young children's (aged 5-8 years) perspectives of the physical and social hospital environment to ensure that the physcial places and social spaces of the proposed new Children's Hosptial of Ireland would be responsive to their needs.
  Funding Agency

  National Paediatric Hospital Project
  Date From

  September 2009
  Date To

  February 2010
• Title

  Solas - an interactive community for children with cancer
  Summary

  Each year thousands of seriously ill children worldwide have to spend several weeks or even months in protective isolation with no physical interaction with the outside world and limited contact with their family. They are faced with a myriad of challenges that their healthy peers may never experience. Challenges that impact a child's ability to cope socially, emotionally, and or physically are often referred to as 'psychosocial' challenges. These include isolation, change in family dynamics, depression, withdrawal, loss of peer interaction to name but a few. These problems can hinder a child's treatment and recovery. The use of virtual communities in addressing some of these psychosocial issues has been at the core of some of the research work currently being carried out at the Centre for Health Informatics, Trinity College Dublin (TCD) in collaboration with the Children's Research Centre, TCD and The National Paediatric Haematology/Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant Centre, Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Dublin. The Solas project facilitates communication (via email, sms texting, live chat and video conferencing), along with providing a variety of creative (eg. art tool, music composition) and educational tools (eg. multimedia learning games, audio books) in a customized secure environment. Solas is currently being piloted on the Childrens Cancer Unit of Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, and there are over 180 registered users to date, an independent evaluation will be carried out throughout 2009. From the Needs Assessment phase it is clear that there is a need for improved psycho-social services for these children, lack of communication with peers and families and high levels of boredom have echoed throughout this work. Additional requirements beyond the initial prototype leave scope for further development.
  Funding Agency

  Higher Education Authority (HEA)
  Date From

  2004
  Date To

  ongoing
• Title

  Puppet Portal Project
  Summary

  The Puppet Portal Project is an arts and technology hospital based project which connected children, parents, artists and staff in an online community (Ait Eile, developed by the Centre for Health Informatics, Trinity College Dublin) where they worked collaboratively to design and make puppets, develop stories and perform for each other through the webportal. The aim of the project was to transform the hospital experience for children by facilitating them to access their own creativity and self expression and the benefits are very evident.
  Funding Agency

  Health Service Executive, The Arts Council
  Date From

  2009
  Date To

  2010

Health services and systems, Information systems,

• Allianz Business to Arts Awards 2010
• eEurope Awards for eHealth 2004
• NAI Innovation Awards March, 2010
• Astellas Changing Tomorrow Award for Innovation 2010
• Irish Healthcare Awards 2008

• Health Informatics Society of Ireland Present
• HOPE (Hospital Organisation of Pedagogues in Europe) - Board Member Present
• Irish Computer Society Present

• Irish Computer Society (ICS) 2006 - Present
• Hospital Organisation of Pedagogues in Europe (HOPE) - Board Member 2006 - 2010
• Teenage Cancer Group (Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin) 2008 - Present
• European Professionals in Hospital Network (EPiH-Net) 2008 - Present
• Irish Computer Society (ICS) 2006 - Present
• European Professionals in Hospital Network (EPiH-Net) 2008 - Present
• Teenage Cancer Group (Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin) 2008 - Present
• Hospital Organisation of Pedagogues in Europe (HOPE) - Board Member 2006 - 2010