Research

Tobacco use is a major public health concern globally. In Ireland the prevalence of smoking is highest in areas of socioeconomic disadvantage. Smoking cessation services are key to supporting people to stop smoking however further research is required to examine engagement in such services particularly in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities.

This community-based research will examine engagement with smoking cessation services through a co-creation approach. Academics, researchers, and community partners will work together to design and implement the study tailored to the local community’s needs. In addition to contributing new knowledge, a sustainable research collaboration between partners will be established.

Studies have shown that populations living in disadvantaged areas are linked to faster ageing, more disabilities and mental health illnesses, hence the importance of ensuring access to primary healthcare services. Population Based Resource Allocation (PBRA) is a model used for health planning that distributes healthcare resources according to the needs of the population. 

As part of Ireland’s healthcare plan (‘Sláintecare’), PBRA will play a key part in population planning and in combining community and critical services in the healthcare system however primary care central referral data in its current format is not sufficient for PBRA. 

The objectives of our study will be to systematically review evidence on methods to improve health equity in primary care resource allocation and use a sample of primary care referral data for secondary analysis to produce evidence which will support the PBRA plan for primary care services. 

A recent study highlighted geographic inequality in supply of primary care services, noting North Dublin was below average in terms of supply, but noted the absence of geo-coded data to inform PBRA. Hence our study will include a complete year's sample of 38,000 adult patients referred for primary care services in a specific Community Health Network (CHN) in Dublin between January 2022 and December 2022. 

The data will be geo-coded and categorised based on age and social status and statistically analysed using logic regression models to generate data necessary for PBRA. Our analysis will be compared with current literature relating to social status and the use of primary care services. 

The potential findings from this research project will be used for the following; healthcare planning based on population needs at CHN level and eventually at national level and intervention planning to improve equity in primary care utilisation 

Recent research identified very significant deficits in the provision of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) for the population in North East Inner City (NEIC) Dublin (CDI, 2022). In 2023 the Health Service Executive (HSE) set up a Steering Group (SG) of ten key stakeholders to establish a Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) (the 0-5 MDT initiative) to provide support to families, children, and Early Years providers in the NEIC. The MDT is developing a unique tiered model of support to work primarily with the 0-3 years age group and work closely with existing Primary Care services and other services in the wider community to provide appropriate supports to children aged 3-5 years.

The proposed research will focus on exploring the experiences of SG members of being involved and the effectiveness of the SG in developing and implementing the 0-5 MDT initiative (part 1); and preparing a programme logic model and evaluation plan for the 0-5 MDT initiative (part 2). This will identify the inputs, activities/ processes and outcomes to be included in an evaluation of the 0-5 MDT initiative once established (the evaluation will be part 3 of this research).

This project involves nurses and social workers supporting school children and their families.

Older adults, a population for which low health literacy is prevalent, represented most people attending primary care services provided by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in 2019. Any limitation in a person’s health literacy, specifically their ability to access, understand and use health information, can affect their ability to make healthcare related decisions. Health literacy intervention evidence is also required by healthcare providers and policy makers to inform decision-making and service development to improve outcomes. 

This research synthesised the evidence on health literacy interventions and health literacy-related outcomes for older adults. Existing interventions were identified, along with health literacy-related outcomes and any trends between intervention type and outcome. The findings show a link between individual-focussed health literacy interventions and positive health literacy-related outcomes in relation to older persons’ ability to understand and use health information, and that individual-focussed approaches can be utilised to achieve health literacy improvements for older persons across a range of health topics, diseases, and illnesses. 

This trend suggests that implementing health literacy-related interventions directly to the individual is key. 

Furthermore, our study found an inconsistency amongst the included studies in relation to the implementation of health literacy assessment tools, with different tools used across most studies, and some studies choosing not to utilise any assessment tool. 

Teachback is a communication technique in which a person, often a learner, repeats back key concepts to ensure they understand information correctly. Commonly used in healthcare, education, and coaching, teachback encourages active listening, engagement, and recall by requiring the individual to put information into their own words. 

This method not only confirms comprehension but also highlights areas needing clarification. 

This research project follows on from the health literacy project and involves a literature review to determine how the teachback method can be used to improve health literacy in older adults.