Understanding the experiences of undergraduate university students in the COVID-19 context: A qualitative study

University students may be particularly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic due to the remote delivery of third level education and lack of peer interaction. This study aims to explore student experiences of COVID-19 in Ireland, in particular experiences of social isolation, stress and adherence to physical distancing guidelines

GDPR: an impediment to research?

Background: The recent introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation and Health Research Regulations has been an area of significant concern for those engaged in clinical research. These European regulations, following subsequent interpretation by Ireland's Department of Health, now place Ireland in a unique position which differs substantially from other European countries and may prove a significant impediment to Irish clinical research, depriving Irish patients of timely access to potentially life-saving treatments and making Ireland less attractive to pharmaceutical companies engaged in this area. At the very least, the regulations, as applied in Ireland, will place a significant extra burden of work on Ireland's clinical researchers and at their worst will force individuals and institutions out of the clinical research field, which will result in significant loss to the Irish knowledge economy and lead to the detriment of patient care.Aim: In this article, we explore what exactly is proposed by Europe's GDPR and by Ireland's Health Research Regulations. We look at the challenges presented to clinical researchers, and we highlight those areas, which need clarification by the Department of Health and by the Data Protection Commissioner.Conclusions: We propose five recommendations, which would ameliorate some of the more restrictive impositions of these regulations. This review was commissioned by the Irish Academy of Medical Science.</p

Irish Hip Fracture Database National Report 2013; better, safer care

Every year, in Ireland, over 3000 people are hospitalised with a hip fracture. The morbidity and mortality associated with this serious common injury and health care costs are high. International evidence has shown us the synergy of care standards, audit and feedback drive measurable improvements in hip fracture outcomes including mortality (National Hip Fracture Database, NHFD 2011) and cost of care.The IHFD is a clinically led, web based audit of hip fracture casemix, care and outcomes. It is backed by the Irish Gerontological Society (IGS) and the Irish Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedics (IITOS). The IHFD has been recording data since 2012. Data is collected through the Hospital In-Patient Enquiry (HIPE) portal in collaboration with the Healthcare Pricing Office (HPO). The National Office of Clinical Audit (NOCA) (Appendix 6) provides operational governance for the IHFD.</div

Irish Hip Fracture Database National Report 2014: better, safer care

Every year, in Ireland, over 3000 people are hospitalised with a hip fracture. The morbidity and mortality associated with this serious common injury and health care costs are high. International evidence has shown us the synergy of care standards, audit and feedback drive measurable improvements in hip fracture outcomes including mortality (National Hip Fracture Database, NHFD 2011) and cost of care.The IHFD is a clinically led, web based audit of hip fracture casemix, care and outcomes. It is backed by the Irish Gerontological Society (IGS) and the Irish Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedics (IITOS). The IHFD has been recording data since 2012. Data is collected through the Hospital In-Patient Enquiry (HIPE) portal in collaboration with the Healthcare Pricing Office (HPO). The National Office of Clinical Audit (NOCA) (Appendix 6) provides operational governance for the IHFD.</div

Prospective observational cohort study on grading the severity of postoperative complications in global surgery research

Background The Clavien–Dindo classification is perhaps the most widely used approach for reporting postoperative complications in clinical trials. This system classifies complication severity by the treatment provided. However, it is unclear whether the Clavien–Dindo system can be used internationally in studies across differing healthcare systems in high- (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods This was a secondary analysis of the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), a prospective observational cohort study of elective surgery in adults. Data collection occurred over a 7-day period. Severity of complications was graded using Clavien–Dindo and the simpler ISOS grading (mild, moderate or severe, based on guided investigator judgement). Severity grading was compared using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Data are presented as frequencies and ICC values (with 95 per cent c.i.). The analysis was stratified by income status of the country, comparing HICs with LMICs. Results A total of 44 814 patients were recruited from 474 hospitals in 27 countries (19 HICs and 8 LMICs). Some 7508 patients (16·8 per cent) experienced at least one postoperative complication, equivalent to 11 664 complications in total. Using the ISOS classification, 5504 of 11 664 complications (47·2 per cent) were graded as mild, 4244 (36·4 per cent) as moderate and 1916 (16·4 per cent) as severe. Using Clavien–Dindo, 6781 of 11 664 complications (58·1 per cent) were graded as I or II, 1740 (14·9 per cent) as III, 2408 (20·6 per cent) as IV and 735 (6·3 per cent) as V. Agreement between classification systems was poor overall (ICC 0·41, 95 per cent c.i. 0·20 to 0·55), and in LMICs (ICC 0·23, 0·05 to 0·38) and HICs (ICC 0·46, 0·25 to 0·59). Conclusion Caution is recommended when using a treatment approach to grade complications in global surgery studies, as this may introduce bias unintentionally

Critical care admission following elective surgery was not associated with survival benefit: prospective analysis of data from 27 countries

This was an investigator initiated study funded by Nestle Health Sciences through an unrestricted research grant, and by a National Institute for Health Research (UK) Professorship held by RP. The study was sponsored by Queen Mary University of London