The day will include ‘how to’ practical sessions, inspirational talks from academics, and opportunities to network and learn from your peers and colleagues.
Supported by the RCoA and BJA
Visit the NIAA website here (or link below) for more details and the chance to book a place.
The next annual meeting is on the 31st March 2023, held in our very own Cardiff Principality Statium, and hosted by the Welsh Trainee Research Network.
Head to the CME website for more details about the event, including the programme and tickets. Visit the website here.
RAFT 4: POPPY – Patient reported Outcomes, postoperative Pain and Pain relief in daY case surgery
RAFT (Research and Audit Federation of Trainees) has announced RAFT 4! A project investigating patient reported outcomes following day surgery, led by the team at SWARM.
Planning is still underway, so keep an eye out for more information on getting involved.
Key Dates: 2023
This observational cohort study will create a picture of current UK day-case surgery using patient centred outcomes measured after discharge from hospital. Longer-term measured outcomes will focus on defining the rate of persistent opioid use after surgery and placing this in the context of persistent post- operative pain. This has never been done before in the UK. The POPPY study spans the special interest areas of perioperative medicine, pain medicine and day case surgery.
Optithermm is a trainee-led collaborative research project aiming to establish current practice in peri-operative thermoregulation for burns patients undergoing surgery. We are running an online survey of consultant burns surgeons, anaesthetists and intensive care doctors. No patient data is involved.
Key Dates: We are actively recruiting collaborators in the UK as of October 2022 and data collection will begin in October 2022.
From the OptiTHERMM site:
We are a trainee-led collaborative research initiative which has set out to answer important questions concerning the perioperative management of patients with major burns undergoing surgery.
We have developed an online survey attempting to establish current practice in perioperative thermoregulation for burns patients undergoing surgery in the acute setting. No patient data is involved.
Perioperative hypothermia has been shown to be associated with poor patient outcomes including an increased mortality rate. Patients with major burns are at a particularly high risk of perioperative hypothermia but there is no universally recognised international standard for the monitoring and management of patient body temperature around the time of surgery.
The primary outcome is the consensus concerning the major burn patient body temperature which is deemed to be safe during surgery and in the perioperative period.
How to get involved:
If you are a Consultant or Fellow who has completed recognised training in surgery, anaesthetics, or intensive care, you can complete the survey on behalf of WAAREN by following this link.
To understand how local sites are set up to deliver and evaluate perioperative blood management services and assess individuals attitudes and practice.
Key Dates: January 2023
This project, run by RAFT, focuses on organisational structure and variation of practice in regards to perioperative blood management of adults (>18 years). We want to work towards getting a clear picture on what is happening across different hospitals in the UK. This project is designed to be something that is easy and not time consuming, whilst allowing collaborators to increase their experience and achieve key curriculum goals. It will involve an organisational survey along with a survey for individual anaesthetists on their experience and practice in common clinical scenarios. We hope this will not only answer some interesting questions but also identify some key areas for quality improvement.
Obs-TIVA UK is a prospective, multicentre service evaluation investigating the use of TIVA in Obstetrics.
Key Dates: Recruiting from November 2022 to November 2023
Obs-TIVA UK aims to explore the current practices with regards to total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) for obstetric surgical interventions in the United Kingdom. The primary aim is to look at incidences of TIVA use in this cohort. The secondary aim is to explore practices with regards to use of TIVA (equipment, drugs, pharmacokinetic models, monitoring), maternal and fetal outcomes.
Obs-TIVA UK is run by a main project team who have collaborated with the trainee research networks (TRNs) and individual departments in an effort to maximise participation. The project lead is Dr Yavor Metodiev, Consultant Anaesthetist at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. He is supported by Dr Lucy de Lloyd, Dr Rachel Collis, Dr Sarah Bell, Dr Ben Sharif, Dr Helen Iliff and WAAREN (Welsh Anaesthesia Audit Research and Engagement Network).
Data collection for the PREdS Study has now finished, keep an eye out for results and any follow-ups!
The Perioperative Replacement of Exogenous Steroids (PREdS Study)
PREds is a trial designed by a team from the Severn Trainee Anaesthetic Research Network (STAR) to assess management of perioperative steroids.
Key Dates: The study window will run from 26/09/20022 to 04/12/2022
A prospective, multicentre study to assess the number of patients presenting for elective, urgent or emergency procedures who are taking long-term oral steroids and determine how perioperative steroid replacement is currently being managed.
A collaboration with WEAN (Welsh Anaesthetic Environmental Network) and TRA2SH (Trainee-Led Research and Audit in Anaesthesia for Sustainability in Healthcare)
Get involved with our latest audit project looking at waste that could be avoided by administering pre-operative oral Paracetamol instead of intraoperative IV paracetamol, including packaging waste, giving set and extra cost.
We are hoping to collaborate to collect more data and make a case that small change can potentially prevent a significant amount of waste and save money.
DALES was designed to evaluate the prevalence of patient-reported and documented allergy to drugs relevant to anaesthesia and to learn more about anaesthetists’ knowledge and attitudes to allergy.
The study took the form of questionnaires / interviews for quantitative analysis. This was a cross sectional, observational and descriptive study design:
Patient Questionnaire
This occurred across the country in multiple sites over 3 days within a 6-week study window. When patients attended hospital for planned surgery they were consented for a questionnaire about their allergies. Baseline data was collected from all patients attending for elective surgery, regardless of allergy status. Data was collected electronically at the bedside using the REDCap system and securely stored
Targeted Patient Follow-Up
Patients who reported allergy to B-lactams or opioids were followed up post-op if they were due to receive these drugs. An investigator reviewed the anaesthetic and drug charts and note how the drug allergy was documented and what was given. Any changes to the documentation of allergy were recordedAny episode of unexpected patient instability that took place in the peri-operative period was recorded
Anaesthetist Survey
All anaesthetists and prescribing anaesthetic practitioners working during the study period were invited to take part in a survey about attitudes to drug allergy labels in the elective perioperative setting
Which hospitals in Wales took part?
Cardiff and Vale UHB: University Hospital of Wales
Collaborators: Anna Williams, Jessica Phillips, Emily Murphy, Matthew Soanes, Laura Allen
PI: Danielle Huckle
Abertawe Bro Morgannwg UHB:
Morriston, Singleton
Collaborators: Nadine Jones, Benjamin O’Donovan, Harriet Pudge, Alexandra Cormack, Catherine Chapman, Sean O’Beirn
PI: Nathan Tweed
Princess of Wales
Collaborators: Tanya Smith, Mike Cooper
PI: Rhidian Jones
Betsi Cadwaldr UHB: Wrexham Maelor
Collaborators: Amanda Skingle, Jana Anandarajah, Nowfal Rahman
PI: Andy Campbell
Hywel Dda UHB: Prince Philip, West Wales General
Collaborators: Brigitte Baxter, Gareth James
PI: Alun Thomas
Cwm Taf UHB: Royal Glamorgan, Prince Charles
Collaborators:
PI: Aneurin Bevan UHB:
Royal Gwent
Collaborators: Alexander Photiou, Anthony Rimmer, Nicholas Gibson, Roisin Flanaghan, Nitin Bhalla
PI: Tamas Szakamy
Neville Hall
Collaborators: Pete Collett, Jake Moss, Helen Ross
