Health and care services

Research drives better care

Dr-Teresa-Maguire,-HRB-D7521-0058Dr Teresa Maguire, from the Health Research Board, outlines the importance of investing in research that can prevent illness and therefore streamline health and social care.

Traditionally, Irish investment in health research has focused on the underlying causes of disease and the search for new drugs, devices and diagnostics. This is really important work and needs to be continued and supported.

But, we also need to look at health and health research through a broader lens.  We need to invest in research that can prevent illness, create a healthier population and shape the development and implementation of the most appropriate and effective models of health and social care.

This is why the HRB has committed to significantly increase its investment in population health and health services research. Investment in these areas has recently been recognised as a critical enabler to support and reap the dividends from the State’s wider investments in science, technology and innovation (Report of the Research Priorities Steering Group, Forfas).

Conducting high quality research that is responsive and relevant to the emerging, and often complex, challenges in healthcare requires the coming together of many disciplines, organisations and sectors, and it requires new models of funding that bring the research performers and the research users together throughout the research process. It is vital to have a research workforce that can work with key stakeholders to provide much of the evidence that will be necessary to inform decisions around health policies, practices and systems in the decades ahead.
The HRB’s investment strategy is based around building capacity through three key pillars:- supporting people; providing funding for research projects, programmes and centres; and investing in critical infrastructure.

Some examples of key investments to date include:

  • The HRB Centre for Health and Diet Research provides a focal point for public health nutrition research in Ireland. It draws on a wide range of expertise and disciplines including nutrition, public health, food marketing, consumer behaviour, obstetrics and endocrinology. It provides an evidence base for public health policy, health promotion and clinical practice with the aim of better prevention and management of obesity, diabetes and metabolic-related disorders.
  • The HRB Centre for Primary Care Research conducts research into the prescribing of medication in Ireland, and the potential for medication error. In particular, it focuses on the potential for incorrect prescribing in vulnerable groups such as older people, pregnant women and individuals with multiple morbidities. The work aims to reduce errors and support better diagnosis and treatment by facilitating the use of evidence-based clinical prediction rules at the point of patient care.
  • The HRB recently supported 18 fellows at post-doctoral level to work with teams of existing senior investigators in health services and population health research to fill a long-standing gap in capacity at mid-career level. It hopes to award up to another 15 Fellows by the end of 2012 through its innovative scheme entitled the Interdisciplinary Capacity Enhancement (ICE) Awards.
  • The HRB funds approximately 15 new investigator-led projects each year in population health and health services research through its Health Research Awards scheme. One recently concluded project demonstrated how patients could self-manage their warfarin levels using an internet interface rather than regularly attending traditional hospital clinics, resulting in better quality of life for the patient and cost reductions for the healthcare system.

There has never been a more exciting, or a more crucial time, to be involved in building our national capacity to conduct high quality population health and health services research.

The healthcare system is faced with many challenges such as the impact of significant demographic change, an increase in individuals with chronic conditions, increasing medical costs, reform of our primary and community care systems, and decisions around financing, reimbursement and resource allocation. The HRB is committed to ensuring that Ireland has the high-quality research ecosystem to inform these decisions.

hrbDr Teresa Maguire,
Head of Population Health Services and Health Services Research
Health Research Board
e: tmaguire@hrb.ie

t: 01 234 5000
w: www.hrb.ie

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