Health Research Health research news, events and info for the South West

20th May is the day set as the commemoration of the first clinical trial and that of International Clinical Trials Day (ICTD).

Scurvy was a deadly disease in 1700s and there were a lot of conflicting ideas about how to treat it. James Lind carried out his trial whilst serving on HMS Salisbury in 1747 comparing six of the proposed remedies. All his scurvy patients were given the same general diet but this was supplemented with various additional items, including cider, elixir vitriol, vinegar, seawater, nutmeg and (crucially) oranges and lemons. In just six days, those patients taking citrus fruits were fit for duty. This enabled Lind to make the link between citrus fruits in the diet and prevention of scurvy and thus clinical research was born.

Get involved in clinical research and check out the Ok to ask campaign!
http://www.crncc.nihr.ac.uk/oktoask/oktoask_campaign

The online calendar of NIHR funding deadlines has been updated and can be found on the Research Design Service Funding Opportunities page at: http://www.rds-sw.nihr.ac.uk/documents/Funding_Table.pdf

NIHR Primary Care Interventions Call: Now open

The NIHR has launched a cross-programme call for research to evaluate health care interventions or services delivered in primary care settings. The call closes on the 22 May 2013, with funding decisions expected in March 2014. This themed call is a key component of the NIHR response to recognising the need for further research-based evidence in primary care through: supporting capacity building across a wide range of primary care disciplines; and increasing the volume of high-quality research into the effectiveness, delivery and organisation of primary care interventions and services.

Professor Dame Sally C. Davies, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health, said:

‘It is essential that the NHS ensures that all the methods to promote, treat and prevent disease and the settings in which these are delivered are of the highest quality possible. With most people coming into contact with the NHS through primary care, this call provides professionals working within the primary care health community opportunities to develop and conduct high-quality research studies that can really make a difference to  front-line health care.’

The programmes participating are:

Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME)

Health Services and Delivery Research (HS&DR)

Health Technology Assessment (HTA)

Invention for Innovation (i4i)

Programme Grants for Applied Research (PGfAR)

Public Health Research (PHR)

Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB)

NIHR Fellowships Programme (The 2014 round for the Fellowships Programme opens in October 2013).

An NIHR webpage provides further information about the call for potential applicants. This includes a specification document which broadly outlines  the remit for each participating programme as well as FAQs: http://www.rds-sw.nihr.ac.uk/funding.htm

COBALT (Challenging Obstacles and Barriers to Assistive Living Technology) is a collaborative research project between Age UK and the Universities of Sheffield, St Andrews and Reading to explore and provide solutions to the social and behavioural barriers to adoption of ALT by older adults.

Free COBALT workshops:

We are holding a series of free workshops to showcase our COBALT Tools for Engagement and research findings that will appeal to policy makers, health and social care professionals, commissioners, the ALT industry, older adults and academics.

Early booking recommended as places are limited:

• 23rd May 2013 – St Mary’s Church & Community Centre, Sheffield

• 13th June 2013 – Great Western Museum of Steam, Swindon

• 20th June 2013 – Edinburgh Capital Best Western Hotel, Edinburgh

• tbc July 2013 – Venue tbc, Cambridge

To book your place contact: Dr. Maggie Ellis ,mpe2@st-andrews.ac.uk, 01334 462017

For further information : flyer – FINAL

An event was held at the Hilton, Bath on Friday 10th May to announce the winner and finalists of the ifOnly competition.

…” The aim of the ifOnly competition, run by University of Bath, is to invite design students to create unique and innovative design solutions that could make a real difference to the practical problems experienced around the home by older and disabled users”…

There is more about ifOnly here
http://www.ifonlyitworked.com/

A film was made featuring the winner, finalists, ones of the judges and some carer and patient representatives
http://www.youtube.com/user/IfOnlyApp

For more please contact Christine Sidenko ks318@bath.ac.uk

Date: 18th June 2013

Place: Board Room, South Plaza, Bristol

Time: 12:00 – 2:00pm

UWE Bristol researcher Dr Stuart McClean, working in collaboration with Dr Lesley Wye from the University of Bristol, health practitioners and The Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique (STAT) carried out an exploratory study of a time-limited Alexander Technique teaching service, as an additional pain management option in the Pain Clinic at St Michael’s Hospital, Bristol.More than half of the service users in the study stopped or reduced their use of medications between the start of the lessons and three months, making cost savings to the NHS.

In a follow-up to their presentation at the May 2011 CARE seminar, Dr McClean and Dr Wye return to present their latest findings.

Everyone is welcome. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available. Please feel free to bring your packed lunch. To book places please complete the survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/carejune13 <https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/carejune13>. If you have any comments or questions please contact research@apcrc.nhs.uk <mailto:research@apcrc.nhs.uk?subject=December%20CARE%20seminar%20query>.