Change is an ongoing feature within the health and social care sectors - new services are introduced, existing services are modified. Therefore it is necessary to ensure that services continue to be developed and delivered appropriately, based on the best available evidence and making use of the wide range of technologies available.
Members of the Health Technologies and Evidence research programme are recognised experts in informatics, information retrieval and evidence based practice. Work within the programme supports the eHealth agenda and seeks to generate creative processes for identifying, representing, indexing and accessing evidence to ensure that evidence and evidence-based practice remains responsive to the dynamic nature of modern health and social care and the needs of users.
Health Technologies and Evidence supports the need for evidence to inform health and social care policy and practice for example by:
Identifying and generating appropriate evidence and the use of appropriate technology is embedded within all activity across the Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Research. This has resulted in a broad range of collaborative projects:
Cochrane Review of Nursing Record Systems
Funder: Department of Health
The aim of this systematic review of international literature was to assess the effects of nursing record systems on nursing practice and patient outcomes.
Collaborators included the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and Suffolk West PCT.
Contact
Maria J Grant (Research Fellow)
Dr Nicholas R Hardiker
Related publications
Urquhart C, Currell R, Grant MJ, Hardiker NR. Nursing record systems: effects on nursing practice and healthcare outcomes. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD002099. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD002099.pub2.
Evaluating the Impact of Clinical Nursing Librarians
Funder: North West Health Care Libraries Unit
This project is being undertaken in collaboration with a group of clinical librarians across the North West Health.
The project aims to:
- Build on the evidence and knowledge gained from a systematic review of evaluating clinical librarian services
- Provide evidence on the effectiveness and impact of clinical librarian services across the North West
- Develop research skills amongst clinical librarians
Anticipated outputs include conference presentations and peer reviewed journal articles.
Collaborating organisations
Aintree Hospital NHS Trust, Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre NHS Trust, Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology (CCO), Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Cumbria Partnership Foundation Trust, Cumbria Social Care, Edge Hill University, Liverpool PCT, Mental Health and Social Care Trust, Mersey Care NHS Trust, North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust, NHS Cumbria, NHS Wirral, St Helens & Knowsley Health Informatics, University Hospitals of Morcambe Bay, NHS Trust. Warrington & Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (WUTH).
Contact
Dr Alison Brettle (Lecturer)
Extending the Scope & Utility of International classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP®)
Funder: International Council of Nurses
International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP®) is a product of the International Council of Nurses. It is a standardised terminology that is used to inform health care practice and policy to improve patient care worldwide.
It seeks to make visible nursing’s contribution to health and health care globally and to promote harmonization with other widely used standards.
This project involves facilitating the ongoing development and implementation of ICNP® and derived products such as translations, data sets, distribution formats.
Contact
Dr Nicholas R Hardiker
Including everyone in electronic health information services
Funder: NHS Connecting for Health
Certain people in society are at risk of being denied the benefits of electronic health information, perhaps due to age or financial status.
The aims of this study were to better understand how those people could be encouraged and supported to use electronic health information. As part of the study we examined international literature relating to the use of eHealth services, in order to identify and explore factors (barriers and facilitators) that may influence engagement with those services by the public.
Collaborators included: Bolton PCT, the Ormorod Trust and RaFT Consulting.
Contact
Dr Nicholas R Hardiker
Related publications
Hardiker, NR and Grant, MJ 2009, 'Factors that affect public engagement with eHealth services: a literature review', Project Report, University of Salford, Salford.
Hoy, D, Hardiker, NR, McNicoll, I, Westwell, P and Bryans, A 2009, 'Collaborative development of clinical templates as a national resource', International Journal of Medical Informatics, 78 (1), S95-S100.
A systematic scoping review of the research on Counselling and Psychotherapy in primary care
Funder: British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy
The project involved undertaking a systematic review which aimed to locate, appraise and synthesise evidence to obtain a reliable overview of the clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and user perspectives regarding counselling in primary care.
Main results: Evidence from 26 studies was presented as a narrative synthesis and demonstrated that counselling is effective in the short term, is as effective as CBT with typical heterogeneous primary care populations and more effective than routine primary care for the treatment of non-specific generic psychological problems, anxiety and depression.
Counselling may reduce levels of referrals to psychiatric services, but does not appear to reduce medication, the number of GP consultations or overall costs. Patients are highly satisfied with the counselling they have received in primary care and prefer counselling to medication for depression.
Conclusions and implications for future research: This review demonstrates the value of counselling as a valid choice for primary care patients and as a broadly effective therapeutic intervention for a wide range of generic psychological conditions presenting in the primary care setting. More rigorous clinical and cost-effectiveness trials are needed together with surveys of more typical users of primary care services.
Contact
Dr Alison Brettle (Lecturer)
Related publications
Hill, A, Brettle, A, Jenkins, P and Hulme, CT 2008, Counselling in primary care: a systematic review of the evidence, Project Report, British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, Lutterworth
Brettle, A, Hill, A and Jenkins, P 2008, 'Counselling in primary care: a systematic review of the evidence', Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 8 (4) , pp. 207-214.
Evaluating clinical librarian services: a systematic review
Funder: North West Health Care Libraries Unit
This project was undertaken in collaboration with a group of North West Health Care librarians with an interest in clinical librarianship. The aims of the project were to:
- Provide evidence on effective methods of evaluating clinical librarian services
- Provide evidence on the effectiveness of clinical librarian services (by updating previous reviews)
- Develop research and critical appraisal skills
- Examine the process and resources involved in conducting a systematic review.
Outputs have included conference presentations, peer reviewed journal articles and a toolkit to enable other librarians to undertake systematic reviews.
Collaborating organisations
Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre NHS Trust, Bury PCT, Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Edge Hill University, National Centre for Primary Care Research, University of Manchester, University Hospitals of Morcambe Bay, NHS Trust.
Contact
Dr Alison Brettle (Lecturer)
Related publications
Brettle A et al (in press), Evaluating clinical librarian services: a systematic review. Health Information and Libraries Journal
The impact of caring for those with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease on carers physical and psychological well being: a narrative review
A narrative review is currently being undertaken of published literature on the physical and psychological well being of carers of those with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Searches have been undertaken on the Thesis Index and the CINAHL, MEDLINE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PsychInfo/ClinPscyh and Sociological Abstracts bibliographic databases.
Studies will be included in the review if they are primary research investigating the impact on carers, from a carer’s perspective, of caring for someone with COPD.
Contact
Alison Cavanagh (Lecturer)
Maria J Grant (Research Fellow)
Janelle Yorke (Lecturer)
The role of NHS libraries in providing information for patient care
Funder: North West Health Care Libraries Unit
Patients and carers need information about health care and health services and there are many places they can go for information. However a review of the issues surrounding the provision of information resources and services to patients and carers suggests that providing, developing and co-ordinating information for patients is "everybody's job and nobody's job" (Stewart, 2006).
The review goes on to highlight a number of issues and questions regarding the provision of information to patients including:
- the issue is not owned at a strategic level
- there is a large amount of duplication by various groups responsible for providing patient information but a lack of awareness surrounding what each group does
- there are many NHS information providers but little co-ordination of effort
- multiple levels of training are needed
- where do health promotion and public health information services fit in
- how can statistical and performance data be made meaningful and usable to patients and carers?
- what research exists and what is needed?
- what communication channels should be utilised
- how should issues relating to the quality of patient information be addressed?
NHS libraries are a major provider of health information to clinicians and other health professionals - but what is their role or what should their role be in providing information to the patients and carers.
If NHS libraries were involved could some of the issues raised above be resolved? As a strategic leader in the provision of health information in the North West, the Health Care Libraries Unit wish to explore the views of the Strategic Health Authority, Trusts in the North West and NHS libraries regarding the provision of information to patients.
Contact
Dr Alison Brettle
Paula Ormandy
Related publications
Brettle, A and Ormandy, P 2008, Do NHS libraries have a role in providing information for patient care?, Project Report, University of Salford, Salford.
Physical activity in the workplace: a systematic review
Funder: NICE
This project involved a systematic review of the literature regarding the effectiveness of workplace physical activity interventions, commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). A search for English-language papers published between 1996 and 2007 was conducted using 12 relevant databases and associated grey literature. Key inclusion criteria were, workplace intervention aiming to increase physical activity, intervention aimed at working adults, intervention initiated/endorsed by the employer, physical activity outcome.
Thirty-three studies (38 papers) met the inclusion criteria and were independently reviewed with a narrative synthesis of findings. Data regarding the effectiveness of stair walking interventions was limited and intervention effects were short-lived. Three public sector studies provided evidence that workplace walking interventions using pedometers can increase daily step counts.
One good quality study reported a positive intervention effect on walking to work behaviour (active travel) in economically advantaged female employees. There was strong evidence that workplace counselling influenced physical activity behaviour. There is a dearth of evidence for small and medium enterprises. The study shows that there is a growing evidence base that workplace physical activity interventions can positively influence physical activity behaviour.
Contact
Dr Alison Brettle (Lecturer)
Related publications
Dugdill, L, Brettle, A, Hulme, C, McCluskey, S and Long, AF 2008, 'Workplace physical activity interventions: a systematic review' , International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 1 (1) , pp. 20-40.
Reviewing the grey literature around public health interventions
Funder: NHS Northwest
Physical activity, mental health and well being, and food and nutrition are areas of health that have recognised links to circulatory diseases and some cancers. People living in poorer socio-economic circumstances are more likely to contract these diseases.
Effective interventions to increase engagement in physical activity, to promote mental health and well being and to improve food and nutrition and may help to improve the health of the population of the UK and reduce health inequalities. The aim of this systematic and comprehensive review of available grey literature was to identify:
1) the nature of interventions and strategies which can support people and communities to make positive changes
2) the factors that enable that change to be sustained.
Contact
Dr Nicholas R Hardiker
Related publications
Hardiker, NR, McGrath, ML and McQuarrie, C 2009, A synthesis of grey literature around public health interventions and programmes, Project Report, University of Salford.
A number of PhD and Professional Doctorate students are undertaking research within this programme. Examples of topic areas include:
Brettle, A, Hill, A and Jenkins, P 2008, 'Counselling in primary care: a systematic review of the evidence' , Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 8 (4) , pp. 207-214.
Dugdill, L, Brettle, A, Hulme, C, McCluskey, S and Long, AF 2008, 'Workplace physical activity interventions: a systematic review' , International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 1 (1) , pp. 20-40.
