CaHRU supports a number of PhD and MSc students, some funded by external grants, others through university studentships and also a number of self-funded doctoral studies. Greg Whitley is a paramedic, supported by a studentship from the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration East Midlands and Health Education East Midlands, who is studying pain relief provided by ambulance services for children. CaHRU staff members Viet-Hai Phung and Despina Laparidou are both undertaking doctorates funded though the University of Lincoln.
Recent doctoral completions from CaHRU include Dr Nadya Essam who investigated ‘The effect and usefulness of the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) to support paramedics’ decisions to convey patients to hospital or treat closer to home. She found that although risk assessment scoring with NEWS was being used by ambulance personnel, there was little evidence that this resulted in fewer patients being transported to hospital. Other PhD completions include Laura Simmons and Fiona Togher, both University of Lincoln studentship funded students. Laura studied the effect of stress as a cause of sickness absence in the ambulance service and Fiona’s PhD led to the ‘Development of an ambulance patient reported experience measure’.
Nadya now works as a project manager for Lincolnshire police, Fiona is a senior analyst for the Care Quality Commission and Laura is a lecturer in psychology at the University of Worcester, while Greg Whitley has recently been appointed a lecturer in paramedic science at the University of Lincoln.
We continue to welcome students interested in undertaking doctorates in the broead area of health care quality improvement.
By Prof Niro Siriwardena