Dr. Veronika Williams

Veronika Williams profile image
Associate Professor / Faculty of Education and Professional Studies - School of Nursing
Position
Full-time Faculty
Graduate Program Faculty
Director
Extension
4126
Website
About
Dr Williams is originally from Germany, but has lived in England, UK for 20 years, where she completed her nursing degree and PhD focusing on COPD patient experiences of breathlessness and activity. Her clinical background is in respiratory and general medical nursing. She has worked in several UK Universities since completing her PhD in 2007, including post-doctoral research fellow posts on large research grants. She is currently a Senior Associate Tutor at the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford, where she supervises several DPhil/ PhD students in Evidence Based Health Care.
Read more

Awards/ Grants:

2020 - Internal Research Grant; Nipissing University COVID 19 grant: COVID 19’s impact on final year nursing students’ clinical preparedness and educational experience. Williams, Peachey, McParland, Goldsworthy, Warbrick CAN$ 4170

2019 - Africa-Oxford Initiative, University of Oxford; Travel Award Oyetunde and Williams £4763

2018-2019 - University of Oxford Global Health Challenge Research Fund (Co-I): CRICK Study (Cardiovascular RIsk sCores in Kenya) - A qualitative study exploring the facilitators and barriers to the use of cardiovascular risk scores in Kenyan primary care settings; (DPhil fieldwork support for Tonny Muthee) £12,577

2018-2019 - NIHR SPCR (PI) Williams et al: Barriers and facilitators to the implementation of an expanded NHS primary care workforce (Phase 1): stakeholder inquiry, conceptual framework development and design of a mixed methods evidence synthesis protocol and external funding application. £12,500

2017-2022 - NIHR Programme Grant for Applied Research: (Co-I) Farmer et al: Supporting people with type 2 diabetes in effective use of their medicine through use of a system comprising mobile health technology integrated with clinical care. £ 2.5 million

2016-2017 - NSPCR: (Co-I) Nunan et al: The Evidence of Effects Page: Refinement of a tool for optimising evidence-based informed treatment decisions In Clinical practice (The EEPIC-1 study). £35,689

2016 - Baily Thomas Charitable Fund: (Joint PI) Victor and Williams et al: Ageing and later life for people with a learning disability: exploring current evidence and setting priorities for future research, a scoping review £4965.33

2015-2018 - NIHR HS&DR: (Co-I): Powell et al: Improving NHS Quality Using Internet Ratings and Experiences (INQUIRE) £ 605,860

2015-2020 - Wellcome Trust Senior Joint Investigator Award: (External Collaborator) Macnaughton, J (Durham) and Carel, H. (Bristol) ‘Life of Breath’ £1.5 million project website: http://www.lifeofbreath.org/

2009-2013 - The Dunhill Medical Trust, Project Grant: (Co-I) Victor, C.; Williams, V.; Martin, W., LeMay, A.; Richards, S. and Oliver D. Bridging the gap between policy and practice: dignity in care for older people£121,254

2006 - ESRC Training Bursary £760

2005 - Royal College of Nursing Research Society, Marjorie Simpson New Researcher’s Award (in association with the Journal of Advanced Nursing) £200

2004- 2007 - Luxfer PhD studentship, Luxfer Cylinders Ltd, £20,000

2002- 2007 - PhD studentship, School of Health Professions and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Southampton, £30,000

2001 - Prize for the Contribution to the Life of the School of Health Care; Oxford Brookes University

Education
PG Cert (Teaching and Learning), University of Reading, UK
PhD, University of Southampton, UK
BSc (Hons), Oxford Brookes University, UK
Research

Veronika’s research predominately focuses on improving health care services and patient care. Her research focuses on the experiences of people living with a long-term condition (with a particular interest in chronic respiratory disease and older people) and how we can support their self-management and health care needs. Her other interests are in health services research, such as skill mix and health service delivery in the health care workforce (with a focus on primary/ community health care settings), and digital health. She also has a strong interest in evidence based nursing and how we can bridge the gap between academia and clinical practice to provide evidence based nursing care whilst taking account of individual patient experience and needs.

Veronika has strong expertise in qualitative research methods, and has experience in conducting qualitative studies embedded within clinical trials (process evaluations); qualitative and mixed method evidence syntheses and systematic reviews; and mixed methods research. She is a Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator on several UK based grants.

She has successfully supervised several MSc and PhD students and currently supervises PhD students and MSc/ MA students. She is accepting students for research supervision in her areas of interest (both methods and topic area).

Publications

Selected Recent Publications (Total Over 40)

Williams, V., 2020. Lack of education and co-ordination of care are main factors affecting palliative care provision by primary care practitioners. Evidence-Based Nursing. Published Online First: 25 March 2020. doi: 10.1136/ebnurs-2019-103234

Muthee, T.B., Kimathi, D., Richards, G.C., Roberts, N., Williams, V., Nunan, D. and Heneghan, C., 2019. 6 Factors affecting the implementation of cardiovascular risk scoring in primary care; a mixed-method systematic review. BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine24(Suppl 1), p.A45.

Eaton, G., Wong, G., Williams, V., Roberts, N. and Mahtani, K.R., 2020. Contribution of paramedics in primary and urgent care: a systematic review. British Journal of General Practice70(695), pp.e421-e426.

Tierney, S., Wong, G., Roberts, N., Boylan, A.M., Park, S., Abrams, R., Reeve, J., Williams, V. and Mahtani, K.R., 2020. Supporting social prescribing in primary care by linking people to local assets: a realist review. BMC medicine18(1), pp.1-15.

Boylan, A.M., Williams, V. and Powell, J., 2020. Online patient feedback: a scoping review and stakeholder consultation to guide health policy. Journal of Health Services Research & Policy25(2), pp.122-129.

Powell J, Williams V, Atherton H, Bennett K, Yang Y, Davoudianfar M, Hellsing A, Martin A, Mollison J, Shanyinde M, Yu L, Griffiths KM. 2019. Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a self-guided internet intervention for social anxiety symptoms in a general population sample: randomized controlled trial. J Med Internet Res doi: 10.2196/16804

Hirst, J.; Farmer, A. and Williams, V. 2019 How point-of-care HbA1c testing changes the behaviour of people with diabetes and clinicians – a qualitative study. Diabetic Medicine.

Madeley, A.M., Williams, V. and McNiven, A., 2019. An interpretative phenomenological study of midwives supporting home birth for women with complex needs. British Journal of Midwifery, 27(10), pp.625-632.

Powell J, Atherton H, Williams V, Mazanderani F, Dudhwala F, Woolgar S, et al. Using online patient feedback to improve NHS services: the INQUIRE multimethod study. Health Serv Deliv Res 2019;7(38)

Atherton, H.; Fleming,J.; Williams, V. and Powell, J. 2019 Online patient feedback: a cross sectional survey of the attitudes and experiences of UK healthcare professionals. Journal of Health Services Research and Policy https://doi.org/10.1177/1355819619844540

Williams, V. and Nunan, D. 2019. Childhood obesity is associated with higher incidence of paediatric onset asthma. Evidence-Based Nursing Published Online First: 29 April 2019. doi: 10.1136/ebnurs-2019-103062

Williams, V.; Boylan, AM; Nunan, D. 2019. Critical appraisal of qualitative research - necessity, partialities and the issue of bias. BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine

Williams, V.; Boylan, AM; Nunan, D. 2019 Qualitative research as evidence – expanding the paradigm for Evidence-Based Health Care. BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjebm-2018-111131

Robinson, H.; Williams, V.; Curtis, F.; Bridle, C and Jones, AW.: 2018. Facilitators and barriers to physical activity following pulmonary rehabilitation in COPD: a systematic review of qualitative studies. Npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine28 (1), p.19 doi:10.1038/s41533-018-0085-7

Dudhwala, F.; Boylan, A-M., Williams, V. and Powell, J. 2017. “What counts as online patient feedback, and for whom?” Editorial. Digital Health. 3 (1-3) DOI: 10.1177/2055207617728186

Williams, V. and Ryan, S. 'I just know' exploring self-knowledge in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Palgrave communications. 3, Article number: 17089 (2017) doi:10.1057/palcomms.2017.89

Farmer, A., Williams. V; Velardo, C. et al 2017. Self-Management Support Using a Digital Health System Compared With Usual Care for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Randomized Controlled Trial. J Med Internet Res 19 (5):e155 doi:10.2196/jmir.7116

Powell, J.; Newhouse, N.; Boylan, AM. and Williams, V. 2016 “Digital health citizens and the future of the NHS” Editorial. Digital Health. DOI: 10.1177/2055207616672033, Oct 2016

Williams, V.; Kinnear, D. and Victor, C. 2016 “It’s the little things that count” health care professionals’ views on delivering dignified care: a qualitative study. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 72 (4): 782-790. DOI: 10.1111/jan.12878

Kinnear, D. Victor, C. and Williams, V. What facilitates the delivery of dignified care to older people? A survey of health care professionals. BMC Research Notes. Dec 28;8(1):826. doi: 10.1186/s13104-015-1801-9

Hardinge, M.; Rutter, H.; Velardo, C.; Shah, S.; Williams, V.; Tarassenko, L. and Farmer, A. 2015. Using a mobile health application to support self- management in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a six-month cohort study. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making. 15:46.  doi:10.1186/s12911-015-0171-5

Kinnear, D.; Williams, V. and Victor, C. 2014.The meaning of dignified care: an exploration of health and social care professionals' perspectives. BMC Research Notes. 7:854. doi: 10.1186/1756-0500-7-854.

Williams, V.; Hardinge, M.; Ryan, S. and Farmer, A. 2014. Patients’ experience of identifying and managing exacerbations in COPD: a qualitative study. npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine. 24:14062; doi:10.1038/npjpcrm.2014.62

Williams, V; Price, J; Hardinge, M, Tarassenko, L and Farmer A. 2014. Using a mobile health application to support self-management in COPD - a qualitative study. British Journal of General Practice. July 2014 64:e392-e400; doi:10.3399/bjgp14X680473

Williams, V., Victor, C. and McCrindle, R. 2013. ‘It’s always on your mind: Experiences and perceptions of falling of older people and their carers, and the potential of a mobile falls detection device.’ Current Gerontology and Geriatrics Research. vol. 2013, Article ID 295073, 7 pages, 2013. doi:10.1155/2013/295073

Cairns, D., Williams, V., Victor, C., Richards, S., Le May, A., Martin, W. & Oliver, D. 2013. ‘The meaning and importance of dignified care: findings from a survey of health and social care professionals’. BMC Geriatrics. 13 (28)

Williams, V.; Bruton, A., Ellis-Hill, C. and McPherson, K. 2011. 'The Importance of Movement for People Living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease'. Qualitative Health Research. 21 (9) pp. 1239-1248.

Williams, V.; Smith, A.; Chapman, L. and Oliver, D. 2010. ‘Community Matrons – an exploratory study of patients’ views and experiences’. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 67(1) pp. 86–93.

Williams, V.; McCrindle, R. and Victor, C. 2010. ‘Older Peoples’ Perceptions of Assistive Technology - an Exploratory Pan-European Study.’ Journal of Integrated Care, Vol. 18 (1) pp. 38-44.

Williams V, Bruton A, Ellis-Hill C, McPherson K. 2010. ‘The effect of pulmonary rehabilitation on the experience of breathlessness and activity in COPD – a qualitative study’. Primary Care Respiratory Journal. 19 (1) pp. 45-51.

Williams V, Bruton A, Ellis-Hill C, McPherson K. 2007. ‘What really matters to patients living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? An exploratory study.’ Chronic Respiratory Disease. Vol. 4 (2) pp. 77-85.

Blogs:

Expanding the NHS community workforce: what will this mean for the future of district nursing? https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2020/09/29/expanding-the-nhs-community-workforce-what-might-this-mean-for-the-future-of-district-nursing/

Numbers don’t count - methods do https://www.cebm.net/2019/03/numbers-dont-count-methods-do/

Advanced qualitative research methods in Evidence Based Healthcare https://www.cebm.net/2018/07/msc-in-ebhc-new-module/

Facilitators and barriers to physical activity following pulmonary rehabilitation for COPD https://www.cebm.net/2018/07/physical-activity-in-copd/

Selected Conference Presentations

ISA World Congress of Sociology, July 15-21, 2018, Toronto, Canada: Victor, C, Williams, V and Kinnear, D. ‘Ageing with a Learning Disability: A Critical Literature Review’ (oral presentation)

The International Primary Care Respiratory Group IPCRG, annual world conference, 25th- 28th May 2016, Amsterdam, NL. Williams et al ‘Patient experiences of using a digital health intervention in COPD (EDGE) as part of everyday life: a qualitative study. (oral presentation)

Society of Academic Primary Care, annual conference, 8th-10th July 2015, Oxford, UK. Williams, V. et al ‘Patient experience of using a digital health application for self-management support in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. (oral presentation)

Society for Social Medicine, annual meeting 10th-12th September 2014; Oxford, UK. Williams, V. et al ‘Patients’ experience of identifying and managing exacerbations in COPD – a qualitative study’ (oral presentation)

American Thoracic Society, annual conference May 2014; San Diego, US. Hardinge, M; Rutter, H; Williams, V et al ‘Using A Mobile Health Application to Support Self- Management In COPD - A Cohort Feasibility Study’ (oral presentation)

British Society of Gerontology, Annual Conference 11th-13th September 2013; Oxford, UK: Williams, V. et al: ‘Managing chronic illness using tele-health: ‘“Too old to bother”?’ (oral presentation)

Gerontological Society of America, Annual Conference, 20th-24th November 2013; New Orleans, USA:  Victor, C, Williams V, Cairns D et al ‘Dignity in Care for Older People: Protecting the Vulnerable or Promoting Autonomy – the professionals’ perspectives’. Meeting abstract published in: Gerontologist, Vol 53  pg. 556-557, Supplement: 1, Nov 2013

The King’s Fund, Third Annual Congress on Telehealth and Telecare, 1st-3rd July 2013, London, UK: Williams, V. et al ‘Exploring patients’ perspectives of an mHealth application: a qualitative study as part of EDGE COPD’. (oral presentation) Abstract published in: Journal of Integrated Care, 2013; T&T Conf Suppl; URN:NBN:NL:UI:10-1-115700

International Visual Methods Conference, 13th- 15th September 2011, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK: Williams, V. and Martin, W. ‘Photographing Everyday Life: Findings from the Pilot study’ (oral presentation)

19th IAGG World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 5th- 9th July 2009, Paris, France: Williams, V; McCrindle, R.; Victor, C.; Levene, P. Using a wearable assistive technology system– opportunities and threats’ (poster) published in: Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging. Vol. 13 supplement 1