PhD Studentship - Health Economic Evaluation of Community Acquired Pneumonia in the UK
Location:
UK Other
Closing Date:
Monday 03 February 2025
Reference:
MED2020
NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre
Respiratory Theme
School of Medicine
The University of Nottingham
PhD Opportunity - UK Students Only – Not Eligible for International Students
Health Economic Evaluation of Community Acquired Pneumonia in the UK
Project Description:
Pneumonia is a common illness resulting in over 100,000 hospital admissions per year in the UK. Following hospital treatment for pneumonia, 55% of patients visit their GP within 30 days of discharge, while 15% are readmitted to hospital within the same period. Despite the high morbidity experienced by patients, few interventions currently support recovery. To determine the best cost-effective interventions, up-to-date cost estimates and quality of life measures for pneumonia patients treated in both the community and hospital settings are required.
The first stage of the project will involve studying the economic burden of community-acquired pneumonia in the UK. The student will analyze large datasets, such as the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) and Hospital Episode Statistics, to identify activities related to the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia. This will include identifying relevant treatments and their associated Health Resource Group (HRG) codes to link hospital care with NHS Reference Costs, as well as linking any primary care activity with Unit Costs of Health and Social Care and British National Formulae (BNF). Costs in primary and secondary care will be combined to estimate total healthcare costs and the overall healthcare burden on the NHS, with sub-group analyses by age, ethnicity, and index of multiple deprivation.
The second stage will involve prospectively collected EQ-5D-5L data from a cohort of patients to determine the impact of community-acquired pneumonia requiring hospitalization on patients' quality of life. Data will be collected at baseline, three months, six months, and 12 months from diagnosis through questionnaires administered by research-active nurses. The student will need to clean and prepare the datasets and score the EQ-5D-5L using UK-specific value sets. Handling missing data will involve multiple imputation, with sub-group analyses by age, ethnicity, and index of multiple deprivation.
Who is this PhD suitable for?
This PhD is suitable for a hard-working researcher with an interest in respiratory infections and health economics. Essential Skills: A Master’s in Epidemiology or Public Health with experience in medical statistical analyses, understanding of Health Economics, knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of scientific research, excellent computer literacy, and good interpersonal communication skills. Desirable Skills: A Master’s in Health Economics with experience in cost-effectiveness analyses. Expertise will be gained in using large datasets ('big data') and collecting data for economic evaluations.
Funding Notes:
The three-year studentship covers UK home tuition fees only and a tax-free stipend. Applications are only open to students who qualify for UK home tuition fees.
Supervisors:
Prof Tricia McKeever (Professor of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham)
Dr Wei Shen Lim (Honorary Professor in Respiratory Medicine, University of Nottingham, Consultant Respiratory Physician, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust)
Dr Matthew Jones (Assistant Professor of Health Economics, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham)
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