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  PhD Studentship: Safer Scoring: Application of mixed methods evaluation to understand ward strain


   Division of Surgery & Interventional Science

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  Prof Cecilia Vindrola, Dr Duncan Smith, Dr John Welch, Dr Katharina Kohler  No more applications being accepted  Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

About the Project

We seek an outstanding early career researcher or clinician to be appointed to a 3-year PhD studentship to collaborate on a series of projects using mixed methods to explore aspects of patient safety related to effective management of acute deterioration (acute illness) across whole wards/departments, hospitals and patient pathways.

For clinical colleagues, we will consider accommodating clinical work alongside PhD commitment to facilitate continuation of clinical service.

Background to PhD project:

Currently, early warning scores (EWS) used in healthcare focus exclusively on vital signs or similar measures relating to individual patients. However, the ability of a clinical team to respond to a patient’s needs may also be affected by other factors, such as how busy they are with other patients, The focus of this project is to improve our understanding of how the ward environment may impact on clinical teams to detect and manage deteriorat ion. Our hypothesis is that the more ‘strained’ the ward staff are the more likely they are to miss a deteriorating patient. We will try to understand and encapsulate the concept of ward strain: For example, do staffing numbers, skill mix, high patient turnover shape the way staff monitor patients and so alter their ability to identify adverse changes in an individual’s condition.

The project will take a mixed methods approach examining how we might define and measure ward strain. The student will generate qualitative data to explore behaviours and actions on the ward whilst further work will analyse captured electronic healthcare data. Our aim is to combine these approaches to develop a measurement for ‘strain’ capable of identifying areas of need where patients may be adversely affected if mitigating actions are not put in place.

The research methods which the successful candidate will develop include: development and admi nistration of questionnaires and interviews with clinical staff and patients; observations (ethnographic research) of clinical practice; and digital sociological and big qualitative data methodologies (electronic health record and staff roster datasets).

The researcher will be enabled to draw on expert clinicians, health psychologists, digital epidemiologists, data scientists, medical anthropologists, health economists and others at UCL and institutions working with the PSRC nationally, providing a unique opportunity to work with a wide range of qualitative and quantitative data sources using different approaches, developing skills in statistical and epidemiological analysis, as well as analysis of large qualitative datasets. This is applied health research, so the researchers will also develop skills in the translation of research findings to changes in policy and practice; these studies have the potential to influence the future delivery of services across the NHS.

This studentship is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and supported by the NIHR “Central London Patient Safety Research Collaboration”. The successful candidate will be registered for their PhD at University College London (UCL), in the Department of Targeted Intervention in the Division of Surgery and Interventional Science.

The PhD supervisory team will consist of Professor Cecilia Vindrola, Dr Duncan Smith, Dr David Brealey, Mr John Welch and Dr Katerina Kohl.

Deadline for applications: 30 April 2024 5pm GMT

Interview date: We aim to hold interviews during the period 13 - 24 May 2024.

About you

We are looking for a student with a passion for healthcare research and improving patient safety. Employing a mixed methods approach, this project aims to bring new understandings to identifying patients at risk of deterioration. We would expect the applicant to have a higher degree (MSc or equivalent) in an allied area e.g. nursing, physiotherapy, global health, medical science, public health, epidemiology, or in the social sciences. The successful candidate will need to use mixed methods including questionnaires and interviews with clinical staff and patients and observations of clinical practice together with digital sociological and big qualitative data methodologies.

Ideally, the candidate would have significant experience of working in a hospital, either in a clinical or research capacity. However, it is absolutely essential they have excellent interpersonal skills as they will need to interact with clinical teams and patients on the wards, often whilst they are under pressure. Patience, empathy and understanding is again vital. We will support the successful applicant to develop the skills of a qualitative researcher, however a PhD requires significant self-directed learning, which will also include writing of reports and papers, undertaking interviews and delivering presentations. The applicant should be a self-starter, with good writing and verbal communication skills. The candidate will be adept in Microsoft Office and it would also be desirable that they have experience in developing and managing dashboards (e.g., Tableau or Power BI) and websites (e.g. WordPress, SquareSpace or Wix). The ramifications of their research may be wide ranging and a strong commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards in research and education must be beyond doubt.

Duties and responsibilities:

  • To take responsibility for carrying out day-to-day research using established research methods and techniques within the framework of the research programme as directed.
  • To contribute to the development/optimisation of novel methods and techniques for the successful progression of the project.
  • To run regular meetings with the supervisory team and other stakeholders.
  • To contribute to the production of research reports, publications, and accessible dissemination materials.
  • To liaise with other organisations and researchers related to the project
  • To ensure that responsibilities identified within internal processes such as Health and Safety guidelines etc. are robustly met.
  • To undertake any other duties relevant to the programme of research.

Eligibility:

The studentship covers only the fees for UK students. Additional fees may be required for students applying who do not fulfil the criteria for UCL home students. Please check the UCL website for full criteria at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/money/fees-support/fee_status_proc.


Computer Science (8) Medicine (26) Nursing & Health (27)

Funding Notes

You will receive a starting stipend of £20,622 per annum as well as the cost of tuition fees for UK students £5,860 per annum. The stipends awarded to PhD students are tax free and incur no income tax or national insurance contributions. The amount received increases each year over the duration. A full studentship is available for home fee payers only.
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