NHS North of England Commissioning Support Unit

Research and Evidence Bulletin- February 2022

NHS North of England Commissioning Support Unit sent this bulletin at 18-02-2022 09:57 AM GMT

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February 2022 Bulletin

NHS Knowledge and Library Hub

The NHS Knowledge and Library Hub connects NHS staff and learners to high quality knowledge and evidence resources in one place.

Funded by Health Education England, it includes:

journals, books and databases
clinical decision support resources including NICE Guidelines and BMJ Best Practice
resources purchased nationally and locally
one-click links to full-text, request a copy or contact an NHS library

The resource is free to access for NHS staff, trainees and students using you NHS Open Athens account.

Published reports and articles

Impact of COVID-19 on individuals with multimorbidity in primary care

A recent study conducted by (Barber et al.,2022) explores the direct impact of COVID-19 on individuals with multimorbidity (MM) and indirect effects on their care through changes in healthcare provision necessitated by the pandemic. The study detailed that primary care is an ideal setting to tackle care integration and system navigation for individuals affected by MM. However, the study emphasises the impact that the pandemic and resultant primary care pressures have had upon MM patient care.

The full study can be found here

How has Covid-19 impacted on continuity of care in general practice

An article by Dr Jessica Farrell and Dr Kamal Sidhu investigates clinician attitudes towards continuity of care, demonstrating that 85% of clinicians believe continuity of care to be a 'very important' element of General Practice. The article further details the link between Covid-19 and continuity of care in the pandemic, evidencing that 60% of clinicians believe that Covid-19 has had a negative impact. The article details that this is due to the increased use of telephone triage and reduced face-face consulting.

The full article can be found here

Exploration of prescribing error reporting across primary care: a qualitative study

A study conducted by the University of Sunderland explores the barriers and facilitators which influence the reporting of prescription errors in primary care. The study involves semi-structured interviews with primary care organisations in the North East of England, demonstrating that several factors influenced the motivation and capacity to report prescription errors. These include the nature of prescribing, the complex reporting infrastructure and learning pathways across primary care.

The full report and findings can be found here

Training- NECS Research & Evidence training dates and resources

NECS Research & Evidence team have arranged their training dates from April 2022- July 2022.

The dates are as follows and all sessions can be booked via the NECS learning site.

All sessions run between 9am-11am on Tuesdays. There are limited spaces for these sessions.

The training sessions will include the following:

Introduction to Research & Evidence - 6th April 2022 - 9am-11am

This session is aimed at staff who need to use evidence in their role, and need a working knowledge of the different types of evidence and research studies in order to appraise the evidence they find. e.g. when commissioning services, evaluating services. This session is an ideal precursor to “Finding Evidence” and “Appraising Evidence”.

Finding Evidence - 10th May 2022 - 9am-11am

If you want to know how and where to find evidence, this is the session for you. We will explain how to develop a search strategy and know where to access research papers. This session will have a practical focus on searching for relevant evidence. Attendees are asked to get an OpenAthens account prior to attending. Details of how to do this will be sent out in advance.

Appraising Evidence - 7th June 2022- 9am-11am

This is a workshop session giving people the tools and techniques to enable critical appraisal of evidence, to include both qualitative and quantitative research papers. It is equally aimed at staff needing to use evidence in their role, and those who are developing a research project. Attendees are welcome to bring evidence which they would like to appraise to the session

Designing & Carrying out an Evaluation - 28th June 2022- 9am-11am

This session will define what is meant by evaluation and the important role it has in a healthcare context. The steps needed to go through to design and complete an evaluation project will be discussed. Evaluations could range from evaluation of a small administrative change, such as telephone answering times at one GP surgery, to a new patient service and CCG policy. Practical tips, tools and resources will be shared as well as how the R&E Team can support you.

Questionnaire Design- 19th July 2022 - 9am-11am

This session is aimed at those who may need to develop questionnaires as part of their role, and need a working knowledge of how to design, share and interpret evidence from a questionnaire. It is also suitable for those who may want to develop a research idea involving use of a questionnaire. It is a useful follow-up to the Research and Evidence Team’s ‘Designing and Carrying Out an Evaluation’ training session.

Get Involved in Research & Evidence

NECS Research & Evidence

This link gives a brief introduction to Research and Evidence

If you have any ideas for Research and Evaluation, please complete this ideas form.

The team regularly share information, usually through our regular bulletin or using CCG newsletters, where regional research and evaluation studies are looking to recruit. If you are able and willing to be involved, mail us at necsu.reteam@nhs.net to register your interest and be guided to suitable research opportunities.

You can also stay in touch with what is happening on twitter @NECSRETeam. See live feed on Research Evidence home page

Developing funding proposals in health and social care: NIHR funding opportunities

The NIHR Research Design Service (RDS) is offering this online event for health and social care professionals and researchers who want to develop and submit an application to one of the NIHR funding programmes.

The event will provide information on:

targeting the right NIHR funding stream
support available to help you develop your funding application, include the support available from the RDS, NHS, NIHR Clinical Research Network and Clinical Trials Units
the experience of applying for NIHR funding from a successful applicant.

More information and event registration can be found here

Understanding Vertebral Fractures: A qualitative study

$Vertebral fractures$

The NIHR / University of Bristol is looking for health care professionals who have been involved in caring for patients who have experienced a vertebral fracture. If you have direct experience in vertebral fracture care and would like to participate in an interview please contact: sarah.bennett@bristol.ac.uk

Oliver Bird Fund- Musculoskeletal conditions and economic and social well-being

Versus Arthritis, the UK's largest charity dedicated to supporting people with arthritis, is partnering with The Nuffield Foundation on the next Oliver Bird Fund Call.

The joint funding call focuses on the links between musculoskeletal conditions and economic/ social well-being, generating new knowledge to support policy- and practice-led improvements for people with musculoskeletal conditions. Applications that focus on the link between MSK and participation in education, training and work for encouraged. Furthermore, applications that cover MSK and economic security, support for mental health and socio-economic inequality are further encouraged.

The deadline to apply is 14th March 2022.

More information on the Oliver Bird Fund can be found here

NIHR In-Practice Fellowship

Applications are invited for Round 16 of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) In-Practice Fellowship. The scheme, funded by the NIHR Academy, is part of the Integrated Academic Training (IAT) programme set up to improve career pathways for researchers in both medicine and dentistry. The fellowships are designed to support fully-qualified General Practitioners, General Dental Practitioners and Community Dentists who have outstanding potential as a researcher and/or educationalist.

The fellowship funds:
• a personalised programme of academic training (such as a Masters degree)
• salary for 50% of awardees’ time over 24 months (or longer if part-time)
• conference attendance

The deadline to apply is 24th March 2022.

More information on how to apply can be found here

Useful links

The Health Foundation- How better use of data can help address key challenges facing the NHS

The Kings Fund- The Covid-19 vaccination programme: trials, tribulations and successes

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