All our research has enabled patients and service users to get better and more appropriate clinical and social care, leading to improved outcomes and quality of life.
In developing ‘care bundles’ for the national Ambulance service (ASCQI) we were able to demonstrate improvements across the early treatment of heart attacks, stroke, asthma and diabetes. A far greater proportion of paramedics across all English ambulance services (from 43% to 79%), now administer the ‘care bundle’ for heart attacks (aspirin, nitrate, pain assessment and pain relief), leading to improved patient outcomes – greater survival and post-incident quality of life.
Our findings from the IPVASTIA study has had a direct effect on national primary care practices in the organisation of their influenza and pneumococcal vaccination programmes. Through an analysis of data from 94,432 patients we found that flu vaccination had a preventative effect on acute myocardial infarction and stroke. This finding has influenced the number of people being vaccinated: 19% more patients locally have received the flu vaccination and public awareness of this link has been raised worldwide through media coverage in the UK, Europe and the US. This led to increased provision of the flu vaccination.
We have also been helping adults to sleep better through our IPCREST programme of work. By understanding how insomnia was managed in primary care and developing on-line cognitive behavioural tool-kits for clinicians and patients, prescribing of sleeping tablets has reduced and patients are able to better manage their condition.