Managing children’s chronic non-cancer pain better

Health researchers at the University of Stirling are calling for an overhaul of services for children living with chronic pain.

A new study, led by Dr Emma France and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, found children are often left without effective pain management and struggle to access support from health services.

The research, which was carried out over a three-year period, is the first to specifically look at all the research about how children living with chronic pain and their families are experiencing pain and pain management.…

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Applications open for ORUK/NJR/RCSEng Research Fellowship

Applications are now open for a joint research fellowship funded by Orthopaedic Research UK, National Joint Registry and The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

The fellowship is open to pre-CCT candidates aiming to propose a research project aligned with NJR’s broad strategic objectives.

The deadline for applications is 5 February 2024.

Visit oruk.org for further information.

New research identifies lessons for hip replacement procedures

New research study identifies lessons that can be drawn from analysing linked national datasets on revision hip replacement procedures.

Improved planning, smarter resource allocation and above all, better patient outcomes are the aims of this research study led by Mr Richard Holleyman from Newcastle University with funding from Orthopaedic Research UK and the British Hip Society. The study is analysing National Joint Registry datasets on revision hip replacement procedures to identify lessons that can be learnt from surgery outcomes handled by individual consultants across the country.…

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Inaugural winner of the ORUK/Daphne Jackson Fellowship announced

The Daphne Jackson Trust, in partnership with Orthopaedic Research UK (ORUK), is delighted to announce that a three-year Fellowship has been awarded to Dr Nikki Kuiper. She is a highly qualified academic with a biomedical PhD and a long-standing career in the musculoskeletal (MSK) field via a long association with the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic NHS Hospital (RJAH) in Oswestry. Her research will focus on analysing health data on MSK patients, particularly those with knee problems, to find out the period of time from knee surgery to total joint replacement.…

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Chronic pain: What matters to you?

This research aims to better understand what it means to live with and manage chronic pain, from everyone’s perspective. You now have the opportunity to say what matters to you by participating in this survey.

By answering the questionnaire, you can help overcome some of the current uncertainties and challenges of chronic pain management. Your knowledge will enable the researchers to collaborate closely with patients and patient organizations to develop better care that are meaningful for people living with chronic pain and their families.…

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COVID Shielding Voices report

In October 2023 the COVID Shielding Voices report was published. Funded by Versus Arthritis and conducted by the Centre for Epidemiology at the University of Manchester, it is a research study about people with autoimmune inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, who shielded during the pandemic. The report has been shared with both the UK and Scottish COVID-19 inquiries.

The COVID Shielding Voices report captures the depth of people’s experiences of shielding during the pandemic and its long-lasting impact on them, their families, their mental health, and their working lives.…

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RA-UK Regional Anaesthesia Research PSP

Regional Anaesthesia Research flyer The RA-UK Regional Anaesthesia Research Priority Setting Partnership is a project aiming to establish the 10 most important research questions in regional anaesthesia. It’s vital that these questions matter to patients and healthcare professionals.

If you completed the initial survey, RA-UK is grateful for your support. Over 500 research ideas were collected from a wide range of people. The team then generated indicative questions based on themes of the suggested questions and subsequently performed a literature search to establish which of these questions were already answered.…

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The role of osteopaths in early DCM diagnosis

The results of a study recently published in the JMIR, has concluded that given that osteopaths are a workforce professionally trained to examine musculoskeletal disease, they could have an important role in accelerating access to timely diagnosis and treatment of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy (DCM).

DCM presents significant diagnosis and timely treatment challenges. Exploring these challenges, it had been observed that those with suspected or undiagnosed DCM frequently consult osteopaths for care for their symptoms.

To further explore the potential role of osteopaths in enhancing the diagnostic pathway, a survey was conducted among registered UK osteopaths by the charity Myelopathy.org…

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ORUK Invention for Innovation: AI in MSK

Orthopaedic Research UK is seeking to co-fund research applications with the National Institute for Health and Care Research that have the aim of transforming musculoskeletal health outcomes through the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The April 2023 NIHR Invention for Innovation Product Development Award call 26 and Challenge call 15 invite proposals in AI in musculoskeletal health for research that falls into any of the following areas:

  • Diagnosis
  • Self-management
  • Treatment optimisation
  • Monitoring
  • Risk stratification
  • Health economics

To make a significant contribution to the health of the majority of patients demanding support, and reduce the costs to the NHS, the application of AI technology must be broadened and accelerated and access to data improved.…

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New funding for osteoporosis research

The Royal Osteoporosis Society has launched its third consecutive research grants round for 2023, opening the scheme for the first time to innovation projects that can close the care gap and reduce health inequalities.

Applications are encouraged from researchers at every career stage. Project grants of up to £100,000 over a maximum of three years will be available. The deadline for applications is Tuesday 6 June 2023.

Read more here.