Staff at the Royal United Hospital have been praised for their excellent work researching the causes and treatments of stroke.
The hospital’s Stroke Research Team has been highly commended in the Team of the Year category of the National Institute for Health Research’s awards, in recognition of their success in embedding research culture into day-to-day clinical care.
The team was praised for developing an effective, high quality research service with minimal resources within a short period of time, and in doing so enhancing the research culture within the Acute Stroke Unit and the Emergency Department.
Consultant Stroke Physician Dr Louise Shaw says: “Research is very important in improving patient care by finding out which treatments work best and we are delighted that our work in this area has been recognised.
“Our research studies look into various aspects of the care and treatment of this group of patients including improving recovery and preventing further strokes, as well as looking for possible genetic causes. A research culture has been embedded into the day-to-day clinical care of the Acute Stroke Unit, and our research nurses are very much part of the ward team.”
All patients admitted to the Acute Stroke Unit are screened for their suitability for inclusion in studies. More than 180 patients have been recruited to clinical trials since the team was set up in 2006.
The team is also working closely with other departments in the hospital, for example working with Orthoptics on VISION, a study comparing the clinical effectiveness of three different treatment methods for patients who have suffered a stroke resulting in visual field loss. This loss of vision can seriously impact on functional ability and quality of life.
The study involves patients being randomly assigned to one of three treatment methods – wearing prism glasses, undergoing visual search training, or being given information only. Results will be analysed alongside those of other hospitals taking part in the study to see which method has the best outcomes for patients.