Six RCSI projects have been awarded funding for knowledge translation from the Health Research Board (HRB).

In the fifth round of the Knowledge Translation Awards, the HRB has invested €1.2 million in 26 projects. The scheme allows HRB grant holders to apply for additional funding to what is normally allocated to every HRB grant for communication and dissemination activities.

The funding will allow six RCSI projects to engage and communicate in creative and meaningful ways, bringing their research to life and creating resources that will greatly help patient communities.

Professor Fergal O’Brien, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, RCSI said: “We are deeply committed to putting the patient at the centre of our research. We seek to leverage our knowledge to improve patient outcomes and welfare, and to communicate our research with patients and the broader community. I congratulate each of the RCSI recipients of this important HRB funding. This work will strengthen the link between these research projects and the community, and provide inspiration for other researchers.”

Dr Mairéad O’Driscoll, Chief Executive at the HRB, said: “The Knowledge Translation Awards view each stage in the research process as an opportunity for collaboration with knowledge users, which include healthcare practitioners, policy makers and the public. These awards give the HRB-funded research community extra opportunities to communicate the impact and value of their work.”

The RCSI projects are:

Medication without harm: building a network and knowledge exchange programme

Dr Caitriona Cahir, Data Science Centre, School of Population Health

Reducing worldwide harm associated with medications is a global priority, with national and international commitments to addressing the issue. Yet, there is no agreed strategy about how best to address medication-related harm. 

This project will see the establishment of a national Medication Without Harm Knowledge Exchange Event and to bring together health care policy-makers and regulators, health care professionals, researchers, patients, and the public to share current evidence and present their perspectives on medication safety. Following the event, a Medication Without Harm Network will be set up with the goal of creating a more unified approach and concerted action to reduce medication-related harm in Ireland.

Psychosis in the theatre

Professor David Cotter, Department of Psychiatry

Researchers will work with the innovative theatre company Brokentalkers to facilitate a series of workshops and conversations researchers, PPI partners and the cross-disciplinary clinicians involved in a research study on psychosis. 

In collaboration with Brokentalkers, the researchers will listen to and draw on the multiple, unique, and deeply subjective experiences of psychosis from those who participate in this creative process. The output will be a piece of work (theatre/film/audio visual installation /other) that is both authentic and compelling, that brings you into the world of psychosis, and that prompt empathy and discourse about this complex human experience.

Better osteoarthritis care: delivering education and training for primary care health professionals in Ireland

Professor Helen French, School of Physiotherapy

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis in Ireland. It results in pain, reduced mobility and poorer quality of life. This project will see the roll out an online education course for healthcare professionals such as GPs, practice nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and dieticians, on the management of osteoarthritis. This course, developed in Australia, is in line with international best-practice guidelines. It will be adapted by adding an additional module that will focus on management of osteoarthritis within the Irish health system.

The team will also run interprofessional workshops for healthcare professionals, which will focus on the roles of different healthcare professionals in managing osteoarthritis, specifically within the Irish health system. 

Tip of the iceberg: highlighting the long-term health consequences of polycystic ovary syndrome

Professor Michael O'Reilly, Department of Medicine

This project will raise awareness of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a chronic health condition that affects up to 15% of all women. PCOS has traditionally been perceived as a purely reproductive disorder, resulting in absence of ovulation and subfertility. However, it is now increasingly clear that PCOS is a chronic metabolic disorder with significant health consequences for affected women across the lifespan. These adverse health outcomes include a significantly increased risk of type 2 diabetes, fat accumulation in the liver and cardiovascular disease.

Furthermore, women with PCOS have reduced quality of life and an increased risk of mental health disorders, early retirement from their working careers and a higher risk of sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnoea than their non-PCOS counterparts.

The Ignition study: Sharing stories to improve the experience of transition for young people with cerebral palsy

Dr Jennifer Ryan, School of Population Health

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a common cause of disability among children. Although it begins in childhood, most people with CP are adults. Children with CP are transferred from children’s health services to adult services at age 18. This can be challenging as young people balance their healthcare needs with becoming more independent.

In the Ignition study, the researchers asked young people with CP, parents, and health professionals about their experience of transition. That data were used to identify resources to improve transition in collaboration with a group of young people with CP and a group of parents.

Following feedback from that group, this project will work with HOPE to create engaging and accessible digital stories about young people’s and parents’ experience of transition. The purpose of the stories will be to share information about transition, reduce fear about the future, show role models, and educate health professionals and the public about the experiences of people with CP. 

Taking a world café approach to improving understanding of psychosis and establishing a psychosis research PPI network

Professor David Cotter, Department of Psychiatry

Ireland does not currently have a well-established PPI network in the field of mental health. This project will establish a psychosis research PPI network in Ireland, beginning with the hosting of a series of PPI-focused world café events with individuals with lived experience of psychosis, family members/friends of those with psychosis and with others who work in the field of mental health. These will be followed by a further event, aimed at establishing a PPI psychosis network for this project and for others that follow.

These events will deepen understanding of people’s lived experiences of psychosis in Ireland through meaningful dialogue.