HSC R&D Division contributes to National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded research. This enables Northern Ireland-based researchers to lead on applications for NIHR research opportunities alongside their colleagues from the United Kingdom (UK) (see here).
A UK-wide clinical diagnostic study, led by researchers at Queen’s University Belfast, funded by the NIHR, has shown how a new surveillance pathway for people with stable diabetic eye disease is safe and cost-saving, freeing up ophthalmologists to evaluate and treat people requiring urgent care.
The new healthcare surveillance pathway may help ophthalmic units across the world to improve their capacity while saving patient’s sight. It is already having a positive impact on the re-design of NHS services across the UK, having been implemented successfully in several hospitals.
For more information see NIHR website and QUB website