Dementia Research Impact Report (1990-2012)

Impact of Alzheimer's Society's dementia research programme 1990-2012. Full details and the publication can be accessed here.

A Picture of Ageing Research in Ireland, North and South

This publication provides a snapshot of the ageing research landscape across the island of Ireland.�� By 2030 one in five people on the island of Ireland will be 65 years or older. As the population ages research into ageing and older people is vital to help plan for healthier and more active later lives for everyone. Academic institutions across the island are engaged in a wide range of research programmes and projects relating to ageing. ��Ageing is increasingly viewed as a research priority for these institutions and the island of Ireland is gaining recognition as a place of excellence for ageing research. This publication provides an overview of research relating to ageing being carried out in their various third level institutions in Ireland, North and South. ��It combined these profiles with information about a selection of major collaborative research projects and CARDI’s research funding activities to produce an update of a previous directory published in 2010. A Picture of Ageing Research 2014 illustrates the continued growth and quality of research being carried out in a wide range of disciplines by a growing community of researcher in Ireland, North and South. CARDI Director Dr Roger O’Sullivan says, “We are delighted to present this publication which captures the innovative and high quality nature of ageing research being carried out by researchers in Ireland, North and South. ��Ageing research is vital to providing a valuable evidence base for building a better future for our ageing populations”.

Measuring deprivation in health services research, with particular reference to analysis of cancer incidence, mortalilty and survival

This report reviews various measures of deprivation in order to be able to monitor socio-economic inequalities in cancer incidence, survival and service provision in the future.

Health Equity Audit - overview

Presentation given at the APHO Staff Conference 2004. Includes slides about how the distribution of a variable (inequality) can theoretically be modified and how a Lorenz curve is drawn and Gini coefficient calculated.

Clarifying approaches to: health needs assessment, health impact assessment, integrated impact assessment, health equity audit, and race equality impact assessment

Planners, policy makers and practitioners across all sectors in England use a range of approaches to assess health needs, inform decisions and assess impact. Use of these approaches can lead to improved health outcomes and reduced inequalities through auditing provision, access and outcomes. Five main approaches are used by local, regional and national government, voluntary agencies and the NHS: ۢ Health needs assessment (HNA) ۢ Health impact assessment (HIA) ۢ Integrated impact assessment (IIA) ۢ Health equity audit (HEA) ۢ Race equality impact assessment (REIA)

Health equity audit - learning from practice briefing

This briefing provides a summary of learning from three workshops on HEA, and examples of completed or near-completed HEAs to illustrate these learning points. It is recognised that this experience is evolving.

Health Equity Audit Made Simple: A briefing for Primary Care Trusts and Local Strategic Partnerships

A working/ consultation document outlining the key drivers and steps for undertaking health equity audit as required in the Performance and Planning Framework (PPF) 2003-2006

Commissioning for equity. A briefing on inequalities in access to revascularisation in the NHS and in the independent sector among London residents

This briefing describes inequalities in access to revascularisation using data from both the NHS and the independent sector.

Commissioning for equity. Inequalities in access to revascularisation in the NHS and in the independent sector. A technical report

This document describes the methodology for examining inequalities in access to revascularisation in the NHS and in the independent sector. It is a technical report.

Commissioning for equity. Equal access, equal care? Main report

This report has been produced by the London Health Observatory (LHO) for the London Development Centre to provide a London baseline for monitoring specific actions in the Delivering Race Equality (DRE) action plan . The report summarises the findings of an analysis of the information collected from all of London's nine Mental Health NHS providers, and 22 independent providers for the national census of inpatients in mental health hospitals and facilities in England and Wales on 31 March 2005.

Commissioning for equity. Equal access, equal care? Can London deliver the race equality action plan for mental health? Executive summary

This report has been produced by the London Health Observatory (LHO) for the London Development Centre to provide a London baseline for monitoring specific actions in the Delivering Race Equality (DRE) action plan. The report summarises the findings of an analysis of the information collected from all of London's nine Mental Health NHS providers, and 22 independent providers for the national census of inpatients in mental health hospitals and facilities in England and Wales on 31 March 2005 .

Comparative effectiveness research across two spine registries.

BACKGROUND: Comparative effectiveness research in spine surgery is still a rarity. In this study, pain alleviation and quality of life (QoL) improvement after lumbar total disc arthroplasty (TDA) and anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) were anonymously compared by surgeon and implant. METHODS: A total of 534 monosegmental TDAs from the SWISSspine registry were analyzed. Mean age was 42 years (19-65 years), 59% were females. Fifty cases with ALIF were documented in the international Spine Tango registry and used as concurrent comparator group for the pain analysis. Mean age was 46 years (21-69 years), 78% were females. The average follow-up time in both samples was 1 year. Comparison of back/leg pain alleviation and QoL improvement was performed. Unadjusted and adjusted probabilities for achievement of minimum clinically relevant improvements of 18 VAS points or 0.25 EQ-5D points were calculated for each surgeon. RESULTS: Mean preoperative back pain decreased from 69 to 30 points at 1 year (ØΔ 39pts) after TDA, and from 66 to 27 points after ALIF (ØΔ 39pts). Mean preoperative QoL improved from 0.34 to 0.74 points at 1 year (ØΔ 0.40pts). There were surgeons with better patient selection, indicated by lower adjusted probabilities reflecting worsening of outcomes if they had treated an average patient sample. ALIF had similar pain alleviation than TDA. CONCLUSIONS: Pain alleviation after TDA and ALIF was similar. Differences in surgeon's patient selection based on pain and QoL were revealed. Some surgeons seem to miss the full therapeutic potential of TDA by selecting patients with lower symptom severity.

World class healthcare for London. Mind the gap! A briefing on equity of health and healthcare in the capital

This briefing provides an overview of equity of access to some of the essential elements of healthcare in the capital

Need of reduced and harmonized bureaucracy in multi-centre clinical research - a case-report from a Swiss trial

Introduction We launched an investigator-initiated study(ISRCTN31181395) to evaluate the potential benefit of pharmacokinetic-guided dosage individualization of imatinib for leukaemia patients followed in public and private sectors. Following approval by the research ethics committee (REC) of the coordinating centre, recruitment throughout Switzerland necessitated to submit the protocol to 11 cantonal RECs.Materials and Methods We analysed requirements and evaluation procedures of the 12 RECs with associated costs.Results 1-18 copies of the dossier, in total 4300 printed pages, were required (printing/posting costs: ~300 CHF) to meet initial requirements. Meeting frequencies of RECs ranged between 2 weeks and 2 months, time from submission to first feedback took 2-75 days. Study approval was obtained from a chairman, a subor the full committee, the evaluation work being invoiced by 0-1000 CHF (median: 750 CHF, total: 9200 CHF). While 5 RECs gave immediate approval, the other 6 rose in total 38 queries before study release, mainly related to wording in the patient information, leading to 7 different final versions approved. Submission tasks employed an investigator half-time over about 6 months.Conclusion While the necessity of clinical research evaluation by independent RECs is undisputed, there is a need of further harmonization and cooperation in evaluation procedures. Current administrative burden is indeed complex, time-consuming and costly. A harmonized electronic application form, preferably compatible with other regulatory bodies and European countries, could increase transparency, improve communication, and encourage academic multi-centre clinical research in Switzerland.