Healthcare Outcomes Research Centre

Established in 2016, the Healthcare Outcome Research Centre (HORC) is a research centre dedicated to the development and dissemination of evidence-based research on healthcare outcomes that inform healthcare policy and improves patient outcomes.

The healthcare outcomes research led by HORC examines the end results of healthcare services with a focus on patients’ experiences, preferences and values, in addition to cost-effectiveness of service delivery. HORC considers healthcare outcomes as the effects of health interventions on the health status of the patient and population. These effects could be expressed as changes in the patient’s knowledge and behaviour, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) or mortality.

HORC aims to inform decision-making at each level of the healthcare system, including those who receive, provide, organise and pay for healthcare.

HORC contributes to manuscripts for scientific publications and national reports in healthcare and audit, and sit on a number of national working groups using data from the national hospital inpatient enquiry system (HIPE), CSO and clinical trials.

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HORC contributes to graduate teaching, in particular in relation to healthcare financing and resource allocation, and various aspects of cost-effectiveness analysis. They also provide supervision to MD and PhD students.

HORC engages in research collaborations with a number of respected and established organisations, such as Beaumont Hospital, Rotunda Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, the National Ambulance Service, the National Office of Clinical Audit and private healthcare organisations.

A formal collaboration is in place with the National Clinical Programmes in Surgery (NCPS) and in Trauma and Orthopaedics (TOP).  HORC and the National Clinical Programmes have established a research group, which shares information, knowledge and expertise relating to research programmes and projects, removes obstacles to the successful delivery of surgical research outcomes, supports the strategic collaboration between HORC and the National Clinical Programmes, and identifies opportunities for collaborative research within but not exclusive to HORC, NCPS and RCSI. The HORC-NCPS research group is chaired by Prof. Deborah McNamara.

HORC is leading and contributing towards various research workstreams. Some of these workstreams are highlighted below:

  • Analysis of surgical activity and outcomes
    • Sub-specialty, admission route and procedure-specific
    • Geographic and demographic variations in provision of services
  • Provision and costings of emergency services in Ireland, in collaboration with the National Ambulance Service
  • National reporting with NOCA.
  • COVID-19 research
    • Impacts on activity, provision and delivery of care
  • Other
    • Feasibility study to implement Care to Move programme with the RCSI School of Physiotherapy
    • Evaluation of a patient-centred biopsychosocial blended collaborative care pathway for the treatment of multi-morbid elderly patients (ESCAPE study)

Professor/Director of Centre

Research Assistant

  • Tumeliwa Mphepo