Research Dissemination

Below are results and findings from National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) we have supported. 

NIHR Portfolio Study Results and Findings

• Evaluating the optimisation and impact of the BOOST programme, an implementation study, January 2025

  Summary findings: Evaluating the optimisation and impact of the BOOST programme, an implementation study.  
  
  BOOST - Better Outcomes for Older people with Spinal Trouble. BOOST is a 12-week, group-based education and exercise programme informed by cognitive-behavioural approach for older people with lumbar spinal stenosis. When compared to best practice advice in a large randomised controlled trial (RCT), the BOOST programme significantly improved walking at six and 12 months, reduced the risk of falling, and was cost-effective. This implementation work aimed to optimise the BOOST programme, develop and assess the BOOST online course, evaluate clinical outcomes in patients, and understand the experiences BOOST programme providers (physiotherapists and exercise instructors) in delivering the programme.
  
  Dynamic Health successfully delivered this study 2023-24, led by Principal Investigator, Jo Macfarlane, Senior Physiotherapist and Site Lead - Huntingdon Locality. Dynamic Health MSK Physiotherapy and Specialist Services. Huge congratulations to the team for their involvement in being trained in BOOST and delivering the BOOST programme to eligible patients, which has inputted into optimising the programme for best outcomes for patients.
  
  Read more here about this study: BOOST Implementation Summary of findings
  

  
  

• Your views about dental teams helping people to manage their weight, March 2024

  Your views about dental teams helping people to manage their weight

  Questionnaire-based study supported by Dental services between October 2022 – March 2023. See the summary of the study findings. 

  Published paper: Obesity - 2024 - Large - Acceptance among the public of weight screening and interventions delivered by dental

• BALANCE Pilot Trial for ambylopia for Children, July 2024

  See flyer for summary results. Trial delivered from the Enhanced Eye Service in Bedford 2019 - 2021.
  
  Balance results poster

• Survey on perinatal OCD, April 2024

  Survey on prioritising the barriers to accessing support for perinatal obsessive-compulsive disorder at the beginning of 2023.
  
  HCP study summary
  
  Results will be published in a scientific journal soon.

• Evaluating the Home-based Intervention Strategy (HIS-UK), January 2024

  Key results from the HIS-UK research study, supported by iCaSH services. 
  
  Evaluating the Home-based Intervention Strategy (effectiveness of the HIS-UK intervention in reducing chlamydia test positivity among 16-25 year old men, and individuals with a penis, at risk of STIs).
  
  HIS-UK Summary
  
  Link to infographic: www.his-uk.net/findings ).

• Yourtube: Investigating the role of different diets in children who are gastrostomy fed, Feb 2024

  Yourtube: Investigating the role of different diets in children who are gastrostomy fed.
  
  Delivered in Cambridgeshire Children and Young People’s services Community Paediatricians from 2019. 
  
  All of the study publications and links to them can now be found here. 
  
  Yourtube Summary Infographic - one page summary, please feel free to share this with anyone you think might be interested (including patients!). 
  
  Baseline data, biggest sample (n=180). Link to Academic Paper
  Longitudinal findings from the 18 month follow-up. Link to Academic Paper

  • Animation for Young People and their Families
  • Animation for Practitioners

• HCP Survey on perinatal OCD: study summary, April 2024

  Health care professionals survey on prioritising the barriers to accessing support for perinatal obsessive-compulsive disorder at the beginning of 2023.
  
  HCP survey study summary

• ELOPE-GDM study research into diabetes 0-19 service, September 2023

  ELOPE-GDM study research into diabetes in pregnancy by University College London (UCL)
  
  The CCS Research Champions and 0-19 teams were involved in sharing the opportunity for eligible mums who have gestational diabetes (diabetes in pregnancy) to take part in an interview about their experience.  
  
  UCL held an Online Event with CCS NHS Trust to discuss the findings of the study on the 7th September and the materials and infographic are now available to share with anyone who would find them interesting and useful.

  Full presentation: ELOPE dissemination event - master set of slides

  Top tips infographic: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/elope/files/2023/09/UCL_ELOPE_TopTips_QR-12.9.23.pdf

  For more information, please contact the research team on elopegdm@ucl.ac.uk or visit the ELOPE webpage

• Virus Watch, Urgent Public Health Study, June 2021

  Virus Watch, Urgent Public Health study:

  Aim: to identify how SARS-CoV-2 spreads, and how to stop it.

  • As of the 21st June 2021, Virus Watch is proud to say that 50,759 people across England and Wales joined the study.
  • CCS supported Virus Watch with Antibody blood test clinics in the Autumn of 2020 and follow up tests in Spring 2021.
  • The running of blood clinics resulted in an extremely valuable bio-bank of serum samples that will be utilized in research studies over the coming months and years.

  Message from Virus Watch:

  Thank you to everyone that supported our recruitment, the larger size of the study has really improved the quality of the work we can do!  Your efforts running blood clinics have resulted in an extremely valuable bio-bank of serum samples that will be utilized in research studies over the coming months and years.  
  
  Results and findings:

  • Virus Watch regularly shared updates to a public dashboard: https://ucl-virus-watch.net/?page_id=913, in scientific journals, and with policymakers – showing how these findings had a direct effect on how the UK research community understands the virus and how the government has responded.

  • Results from the vaccine evaluation study (monthly finger prick antibody blood tests) helped to understand responses following first and second doses of AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines. Reinforced the importance of everyone getting the second dose of the vaccine and this research was widely covered in the news Read
  • 1142 participants had self-reported a positive COVID-19 test. 499 (44%) reported coming into contact with a confirmed case, 120 (10%) contact with a suspected case and 523 (46%) reported no known contact.

  • Results have helped us to understand how levels of cough, fever, and loss or change to a sense of smell and/or taste have changed across the year Read

  • In January 2021 the latest data was used to look at the levels of essential activities (like food shopping) people had to carry out during lockdown  Read

  • Using the results from the vaccine evaluation study (monthly finger prick antibody blood tests) to understand responses following first and second doses of AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines.  These results really helped reinforce the importance of everyone getting the second dose of the vaccine and this research was widely covered in the news Read

  • When asked  ‘Would you accept a COVID-19 vaccine if offered?’ in December 2020 and again in February 2021, results showed that the majority of people who were uncertain about taking, or intended to refuse, a COVID-19 vaccine in Dec 2020 had changed their mind Read

  • For full updates and analysis visit Findings Virus Watch 21st June 2021

• Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric testing of work patient reported outcome measures in people with RA, OA axSpA and FM Results, September 2023.

  Results provided by Alison (WORK-PROM study Chief Investigator), and on behalf of all of the study team. CCS MSK Services supported this study in 2020. 

  The aims of this study were to evaluate the psychometric properties of measures of presenteeism, and contextual factors affecting presenteeism, for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA), axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) or fibromyalgia (FM), for use in clinical practice and research.  To this end, we completed the data collection in 2020 – and have now analysed, published and have made freely available the seven measures tested. The measures are in the supplementary materials for the articles and also will be available for download shortly at my University of Salford website address: https://salford-repository.worktribe.com/person/1159958/alison-hammond

  • Workplace Activities Limitations Scale
  • Arthritis Work Spillover Scale – renamed as the Long Term Conditions Work Spillover Scale
  • Chronic Illness Job Strain Scale - renamed as the Long Term Conditions Job Strain Scale
  • Work-Health-Personal Life Perceptions Scale
  • Perceived Workplace Support Scale
  • Work Transitions Index
  • Workplace Accommodations, Benefits, Policies and Practices Scale

  In addition, as planned we tested the Rheumatoid Arthritis Work Instability Scale (RA-WIS) in fibromyalgia, finding this to be suitable for group level use (e.g. research studies) but not individual clinical use, and thus recommend a WIS specifically for FM is developed and tested in future.

  We  have completed one secondary analysis study from the dataset (Brown et al, 2023) investigating the work limitations experienced by working people with these four conditions, and what factors contribute most to such limitations.

  In future, we aim to complete a further secondary analysis study about work accommodations needed by working people with these four conditions.  This will likely also be submitted to Musculoskeletal Care, and will be open access if accepted.

  Publications list: all are open access and can be identified at the DOIs stated , if you wish to read further.

  Hammond A, Tennant A, Ching A, Parker J, Prior Y, Gignac M, Verstappen S, O’Brien R. (2023). Psychometric testing of the British-English Workplace Activity Limitations Scale in four rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions. Rheumatology Advances in Practice. 7(1):rkad028. DOI: 10.1093/rap/rkad028

  Brown T, Hammond A, Ching A, Parker J. (2023) Work limitations and associated factors in working people with rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, osteoarthritis or fibromyalgia. Musculoskeletal Care 21: 827-844. DOI: 10.1002/msc.1760

  Hammond A, Tennant A, Ching A, Parker J, Prior Y, Gignac M, Verstappen S, O’Brien R.

  Psychometric testing of the British-English  Long Term Conditions Job Strain Scale, Arthritis Work Spillover Scale and Work – Health-Personal Life Perceptions Scale in four rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions. Musculoskeletal Care  published online 11.5.23 DOI: 10.1002/msc.1774

  Hammond A, Tennant A, Ching A, Parker J, Prior Y, Gignac M, Verstappen S, O’Brien R. Psychometric testing of the British-English Perceived Work Support Scale, Work Accommodations, Benefits, Policy and Practices Scale and Work Transitions Index in four rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions. Musculoskeletal Care Published online first 19.8.23. DOI:10.1002/msc.1807

  Hammond A, Tennant A, Brown T, Prior Y, Ching A, Parker J. Psychometric testing of the Rheumatoid Arthritis Work Instability Scale in employed people with fibromyalgia. Musculoskeletal Care DOI: 10.1002/msc.1829 (in press)

   

• Climb NHS data survey, October 2021

  The University of Cambridge NHS/HSC Health Data Consent Survey, open from February to September 2020, was asking how you think health data should be shared and used. More than 29,000 people from across the UK responded this survey, with 135 contributions from CCS. Thank you to everyone who took part, the overall results of the study have now been shared - see Results of the Climb NHS Data survey

  Visit www.climbproject.org.uk for more information and where further analysis of the results will be made available soon.

• AHP Perceptions of Research in the NHS Survey, October 2022

  AHP Research Perceptions in the NHS National survey - Publication of results BMC Health Services Research 2022

  CCS Trust AHPs participated in this UK national survey in July – September 2021 by sharing their perceptions of research capacity and culture.

  The results of this NIHR study have now been published (Comer et al., 2022)

  https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-022-08465-6

• Psychological Impact of Covid-19 Survey study findings, March 2022

  591 staff, family, friends, and public at CCS took part in Phase 3 of the Psychological Impact of Covid-19 survey (August – October 2021). This helped to make a huge contribution to research about the impact of lockdowns and restrictions on mental health. Below are some links to findings published from this workstream of studies:
  
  World journal of psychiatry
  
  ‘The differential impact of lockdown and relaxation on the mental health of population sub-groups is evident in this study with future implications for policy. Introduction of face covering in public places had a stronger positive association with mental health than lockdown relaxation.’
  
  Journal of Affective Disorders: Psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic: Protocol and results of first three weeks from an international cross-section survey - focus on health professionals (nih.gov)
  
  ‘Evidence has shown an adverse psychological impact of previous pandemics on the population, especially wellbeing of healthcare professionals. Research should focus on identifying the need, preparing services and determining the factors that enhance and build resilience.’

   

  Results from Phase 1 of the study (December 2021)

  https://www.wjgnet.com/2220-3206/full/v11/i12/1346.htm

  http://dx.doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v11.i12.1346

• VenUS IV (Venous leg Ulcer Study IV) - compression hosiery compared with compression bandaging in the treatment of venous leg ulcers: a randomised controlled trial, mixed-treatment comparison and decision-analytic model, September 2014

  CCS Luton Adults Tissue Viability service supported the delivery of this NIHR funded randomised control trial in 2011 - 2012, contributing 6 patients into the participant group. 

  Conclusions: Trial data from VenUS IV found no evidence of a difference in venous ulcer healing between HH and the 4LB. HH may reduce ulcer recurrence rates compared with the 4LB and be a cost-effective treatment. When all available high-compression treatments were considered, the 2LB had the highest probability of being clinically effective and cost-effective. However, the underpinning evidence was sparse and more research is needed. Further research should thus focus on establishing, in a high-quality trial, the effectiveness of this compression system in particular.

  Read publication here for full interesting findings found from this study (RL Ashby · 2014)