The Theme has four groups: Health Services and Primary Care; Epidemiology & Public Health; Health Economics and the Clinical Trials Unit. It also includes the NIHR Research Design Service for East of England and Health Economics Consulting.
Our research typically involves members of several groups, combining state-of-the art research methods with expert knowledge in several clinical, public health and health service fields. In our research collaborations beyond the department we provide methodological expertise, especially in interdisciplinary health services research, health economics, clinical trials, clinical epidemiology and medical statistics. Our research addresses a wide range of clinical, health service and public health problems. We have particular strengths in research on the organisation and delivery of primary health care, including shared decision making and the analysis of primary care data, and the organisation of care and management of long term conditions. Conditions of interest include diabetes, cardiovascular risk factors, smoking and addiction, musculoskeletal disease, HIV, tuberculosis, and respiratory disease. Much of our research entails investigating, or trying to change, the behaviour of members of the general population, patients, professionals and organisations.
We lead or collaborate on many clinical trials, with an emphasis on large scale pragmatic trials of complex health care interventions, often based in primary care, and usually including economic and qualitative research components. We collaborate on the Global Burden of Disease study, and on large cohort studies such as the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. We also carry out evidence synthesis and meta-analytic studies which, in addition to influencing health policy and clinical practice, help identify gaps in current knowledge and priorities in future research.