Our Research
Our research team are working with Clinicans in the Northern Ireland Regional Scoliosis Service to help patients and healthcare professionals make decisions about treatment based on the best available research evidence, finding out which treatments work best for young people with scoliosis.
Up to 41% of stroke survivors have some form of cognitive impairment following a stroke, putting them at greater risk of poor psychological wellbeing. These impairments, such as memory and concentration problems, and aphasia result in many stroke survivors being absent from psychosocial research.
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Child dental caries remains a significant problem in the UK, with high prevalence in deprived communities. The aim of the trial is to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness in NHS primary care of DR-BNI and usual care versus usual care alone, to prevent dental caries in children.
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Our research project, led by Dr Lisa Graham-Wisener, School of Psychology and Dr Tracey McConnell, School of Nursing and Midwifery, aims to identify where more research is needed for supporting informal carers of people at the end of life. We also invite informal carers to join our Carer Advisory Group (CAG) to work with music therapists and researchers in designing music therapy support during pre-bereavement, that can be used as part of routine NHS care.
Chronic pain is one of the leading causes of impaired functioning and quality of life globally. A key to treatment is to aid those with chronic pain to rebuild effective functioning and re-establish meaningful activity. Professor Vowles is one of the world’s leading clinical researchers in the area of chronic pain (e.g., ScholarGPS identified him as the 7th most highly ranked scholar in terms of lifetime contribution; link) and his work is cited by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, 2021) and the American Psychological Association (link) in their recommendations for chronic pain treatment.
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When chronic pain co-occurs with harmful substance use, there is substantial risk of harm. For example, the exponential increase in opioid prescriptions for the treatment of chronic pain over the past few decades has been associated with similar exponential increases in opioid-related harm, such as overdose, diagnoses of opioid use disorder, distress, and disability. Professor Vowles’ work in this area has indicated that harmful patterns of prescribed opioid use in people with chronic pain occurs in a clinically significant minority. His 2015 review of this area has been cited over 900 times in the scientific literature and has been used to inform policy documents for a number of governments across the globe (e.g., SagePolicyProfile), as well as helping to form the foundation for relevant portions of the European Pain Federation’s clinical practice recommendations, which were based on the work of a taskforce co-chaired by Professor Vowles.
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Chronic non-communicable diseases (NCD), such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and chronic pain, are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that NCDs constitute seven of the top ten causes of death and that they are also the leading causes of persisting disability (WHO, 2020). The cost of these conditions is significant – they account for 75% to 90% of healthcare expenditures in developed nations and are involved in half of all General Practitioner appointments in the United Kingdom (UK; Department of Health [DoH], 2012). Chronic NCD’s are a primary contributor to rising healthcare costs and it is predicted that these costs will continue to increase unless pragmatic and implementable solutions are identified to reduce incidence and impact.
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Reviews have shown Overdose Prevention Centres can improve health outcomes and address social care needs of people who inject drugs. These facilities provide supervised substance use with sterile equipment, expert advice, and access to essential health and social care services. The UK Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs and the Faculty of Public Health, supported by 70+ organizations, recommend establishing OPCs to combat the public health crisis of overdose deaths and reduce drug-related harm. While OPCs have demonstrated success and cost-effectiveness globally, developing UK-specific evaluation tools and service models is crucial for integration with the existing health and social care system.
Aim of overall research programme: This research aims to provide the tools for a comprehensive evaluation of UK pilot OPCs, informing evidence-based implementation strategies, and maximizing potential impact on public health.
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