Project details

A more detailled list of projects is shown below:-

Projects in 2001-4

· Rapid diagnostic testing in paediatric ambulatory care (PACU)

The ambulatory unit at NWP is unique and is a national model. The use of bedside or near patient tests is an adjunct to the normal clinical care provided for acutely sick children. Procalcitonin is a host marker whose serum levels have been shown to demonstrate a rise in bacterial infection as opposed to viral infection. We are currently testing this in the form of a lab based and bedside based kit.

This work is being extended to include exploratory work on identification of potential new host/ pathogen markers using state of the art proteomics spectroscopy.

Funding:- by the Womens India Association, £43,970 completed March 2002

Sir Halley Stewart Trust £42,000 commencing April 2002

Personnel: Contact details

Dr Keith Brent	kbrent@imperial.ac.uk
Salene Kumar med student	salene.kumar@imperial.ac.uk
Dr Stephen Hughes	s.hughes@bigfoot.com
Dr Bob Wall	robert.wall@nwlh.nhs.uk
Dr Sandra Rainbow	Sandra.rainbow@nwlh.nhs.uk
Dr Anil Gupta	Agupta@nth.northy.nhs.uk

· Health Promotion in PACU

A number of projects have been developed to assess the value of parent information leaflets for attenders. Also patient information leaflets aimed specifically at children attending the Unit have been developed and tested.

We are now carrying out an outreach programme into local schools which will link in with existing projects commenced here including development of a dedicated web site.

Personnel: Contact details

Dr Shorful Islam	shorful.islam@imperial.ac.uk
Dr Fernando Isaza	fisaza@yahoo.com
Sister Joanne Martin	joannemartin60@hotmail.com
Dr Peter Lachman	peter.lachman@nwlh.nhs.uk

Funding: Brent and Harrow Health Authority £75,000

· Influencing referral behaviour of GPs in managing acutely sick children

The rates of admission and use of A and E services is increasing every year. This project aims to examine the reasons for higher than average rates of referral to our acute and out-patient services and to use methods of expert educational outreach and joint primary and secondary protocolisation to change current patterns of practice.

Funding: Brent and Harrow Health Authority £18,000

Personnel: Contact details

Jackie Scuri
Rachel Abraham	rachel.abraham@nwlh.nhs.uk
Dr Fernando Isaza	fisaza@yahoo.com
Dr Peter Lachman	peter.lachman@nwlh.nhs.uk

· Tracking vulnerable children across agencies-

Project which explores how completely we can collect data from children who are looked after by the local authority . The data collected from all agencies will be compiled for the 180 or so children in Harrow. Data exchange and collection methods will be explored in relation to the standards set by the national essential core data set and also quality protects requirements.

Funding: by Brent and Harrow Health Authority, Child Health Informatics Consortium and Harrow Social Services £15000 over 1 year

Personnel: Contact details

Angela Barst	abarst@aol.com
Amanda Page	mikeandmandy@ukonline.co.uk
Ruth Finer	rfiner@harrow.gov.uk
John Durbin	john.durbin@hsw.wales.nhs.uk

· Development of a tool to measure health status in early school years (Child Health at School Entry [CHASE])

This project aims to develop and pilot a tool for use at school entry using existing standardised measures with a view to describing the status of childrens health and wellbeing for the purpose of epidemiological study and policy development. The tool will be piloted in two boroughs in London.

Funding: by London Region R and D £127,290 over 2 years

Personnel: Contact details

Sarah Edmunds	sarah.edmunds@rcpch.ac.uk
Dr Reeta Gupta	reetag@doctors.org.uk
Linda Haines	LHaines@rcpch.ac.uk

· Maternal and Child Health Information System linkage project MACHIS 2

This is a project coordinated by Prof Phil Steer (obstetrics and Gynaecology) at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and Jean Chapple Regional Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Northwick Park. It has collected data on over 500,000 births in the London Region. The challenge is to collect a sample of high quality linked child health data so that hypotheses can be generated and tested about the early ante and perinatal influences on later child health and development. Work is required to further link maternity and child health systems locally and a number of small projects are possible .

Funded by NHS

Personnel: Contact details

Prof Paul Elliott	p.elliott@imperial.ac.uk
Prof Phil Steer	p.steer@imperial.ac.uk
Dr Jean Chapple	jean.chapple@kcw-ha.nthames.nhs.uk
Dr Shona Golightly	nethames@cesdi.org.uk
(Ken Parsons)	mail@parsons15.fsnet.co.uk

· European Union – Child Health Indicators for Life and Development (CHILD 2000) Project

The European Parliament has supported the development of key indicators for the purpose of comparing member states, following trends in health and development of appropriate public health policies to support children. I chair an expert group for the project which involves paediatricians and public health specialists in 17 countries. The final report will inform European legislation in the area of child health data collection and reporting.

Funding: by the EU £364,322

Personnel: Contact details

Lennart Kohler	lennart@nhv.se
Mike Rigby	hma10@keele.ac.uk

· HOPES Project

The promotion of emotional health in school children is a high priority in preventing social failure in childhood and poor adult ill health. Local school children are given a picture of a scene and asked to discuss it wioth their peers and teachers in a safe setting. The project is being evaluated with the support of researchers from University College London.

Funding: by Johnson and Johnson Foundation £57,000

Dr Ximena Poblete	ximenapoblete@yahoo.co.uk

· Millenium Cohort study

Approximately 700,000 babies are born every year in the UK. This study, like the famous British cohort studies before, will follow up a sample of approximately 10,000 over the following years to examine their health, development and social circumstances. The study is coordinated by the Institute of Child Health London. I am on the Steering Group and have been involved in the construction of the health questionnaire to mothers at 6-9 months of age.

Funding by the DOH

Personnel: Contact details

Helen Bedford	H.bedford@ich.ucl.ac.uk
Prof Catherine Peckham	c.peckham@ich.ucl.ac.uk
Prof Neville Butler	NRButler@aol.com
Zarrina Kurtz	zarrinakurtz@cs.com

Injury Mapping Project

This project aims to map childhhood injury in NW London from detailed routine data collection from hospitals and primary care organizations. A standard template has been produced and this will help inform policy makers about the deficits in routine data as well as point the way for action in targeted areas.

Edgar Samarasundera	Epalita@aol.com
KonradJamrozik	k.jamrozik@imperial.ac.uk
Mitch Blair
Simon Bowen Dinesh Sethi	Simon.bowen@hf-pct.nhs.uk

Funding WELREN £20,000

Models of Paediatric care

Europe-

Louise Parkinson Prof of epidemiology Newcastle

This is a European and International comparative study to explore differences in acute care delivery using semi quantitative and qualitative methods to help inform national policy in UK

RCPCH £10,000

USA

Neil Halfon LA

International comparison of non-acute services with emphasis on child development and surveillance.

Educational Research

· Video validation of examiner assessment of Objective Structured Clinical Examinations

There is a need to validate the examiner assessments of undergraduate OSCEs and we have used a video technique to examine this. Further work is required to reduce the inter rater variation by the redesign and re testing of appropriate examination stations.

Funding Imperial College School of Medicine Teaching Development grant £2000

Dr Matthew Snape	mdsnape@hotmail.com

· Community Specialist Registrar Syllabus

Competencies are being increasingly used as the benchmark for adequate postgraduate training. North Thames Paediatricians have developed a syllabus and competencies which require further development and testing with trainees currently undergoing their ‘community’ training in paediatrics.

Funding - None

· Student Self assessment by video feedback

This project aims to video the medical student consultation as a means of supporting both teacher and student self- assessment.