Sheffield and Chesterfield hospital projects

Sustainable vascular surgical pathways 

Is a one-stop vascular surgical clinic a sustainable choice? 

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Supervisors

Saima Ehsan (saima.ehsan@nhs.net)

Stephen Goode (stephen.goode3@nhs.net)

Abstract and methodology

The aim of the project is to assess the sustainability of the vascular surgical (AAA) pathway. To identify carbon savings and improve the service offer for the patients. The project will evaluate various parameters associated with a one stop clinic compared with the legacy traditional pathways. This will include carbon costs, cost analysis, service impact of change and equality impact assessment. 

The evaluation will include a virtual clinic analysis and a post implementation evaluation. 

The project will largely utilize qualitative techniques for data analysis.

Type of project

Qualitative Project/non-lab based - primarily using qualitative methods

Additional training or teaching

Students will have the opportunity to work with health care managers and exposure to teams working with Quality and Safety. The will have guidance on how to use the tool kit for sustainability analysis. 

Ethics requirements

Service Evaluation - NHS Service Evaluation number required - UoS Ethics will additionally be required

Feasibility and acceptability of WaitWell: a digital intervention to support patients waiting for mental health assessment

Can a smartphone and wearable-based intervention (WaitWell) feasibly support physical activity and wellbeing among patients attending a Mental Health Decisions Unit, and is the intervention acceptable to patients and staff?

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Supervisors

Dr Raihan Talukdar (raihan.talukdar@sheffieldpartnership.nhs.uk)

Professor Michelle Horspool (michelle.horspool@shsc.nhs.uk)

Abstract and methodology

Mental health crises are frequently associated with reduced physical activity, social isolation and poor wellbeing. Patients attending a Mental Health Decisions Unit (DU) often experience periods of waiting and observation that may offer opportunities for therapeutic engagement. WaitWell is a novel digital intervention that combines smartphone technology and wearable devices to encourage physical activity, wellbeing and self-management.

This mixed-methods feasibility study will evaluate the use of WaitWell within a Mental Health Decisions Unit. The student will support participant recruitment, collect quantitative data relating to engagement, physical activity and wellbeing measures, and undertake qualitative interviews to explore patient experiences of the intervention. The project will assess recruitment and retention rates, intervention uptake, usability and acceptability, while generating preliminary data on potential clinical benefits.

The student will gain experience in digital health research, mental health service evaluation, quantitative and qualitative research methods, data analysis and dissemination of findings. The findings will inform future development of WaitWell and help determine whether a larger-scale evaluation is warranted

Type of project

Clinical or Surgical project - based in the clinical environment with patients/including service evaluation

Additional training or teaching

The student will receive training in digital health research methods, study governance and ethics, participant recruitment, informed consent procedures, qualitative interviewing techniques and basic thematic analysis. Training will also be provided in data management, questionnaire-based outcome measures and statistical analysis using SPSS. The student will have opportunities to observe clinical practice within the Mental Health Decisions Unit and participate in research supervision meetings throughout the project.

Ethics requirements

Original research involving human tissues/human participants and/or patient details and information - UREC or NHS REC ethics approval obtained already

Gastrointestinal BSc projects in the academic department of gastroenterology 

There are numerous research projects to choose from in different areas: endoscopy, capsule endoscopy, inflammatory bowel disease, functional gut disorders, coeliac disease and many, many more. There is flexibility for you to pick - come and chat with us to find out what you would like to do and what is on offer. 

Reach out to us to discuss this by emailing Professor David Sanders (david.sanders1@nhs.net)

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Supervisors

Professor David Sanders (david.sanders1@nhs.net)

Dr Hugo Penny (hugo.penny1@nhs.net)

About us

We are the largest gastroenterology department in the UK, with 30 consultants (four professors). As a reflection of being one of the premier UK units we have won 11 Clinical Service Awards (10 national and one international) and nine Clinical Research Awards (6 national and 3 international) in the last decade.

We wish to give you a broad base of research learning in a friendly department with excellent support. Fantastic research opportunities and exposure to clinical practice. Many students also describe that they gained clinical confidence by talking to and recruiting patients as well as working in endoscopy during their project.

During the intercalation application process, you will have the chance to meet with the consultant supervisors within our department who are offering upcoming projects. You may be working with a database or clinical letters, you may have the opportunity to get involved with departmental recruiting (if you wish) for other studies, you will work alongside our nursing and medical team and will gain clinical skills whilst supporting an endoscopy list. 

You will have excellent in-house methodological support from your supervisor and clinical fellows (doctors who are registrars training to become gastroenterology consultants but undertaking extra research training for an MD) within the department.

Type of project

Clinical or Surgical project - based in the clinical environment with patients/including service evaluation

Additional training or teaching

At any given time, there are 1-2 students undertaking BSc projects and up to 5 fellows. This is a close-knit group based on Ward P2 (Royal Hallamshire Hospital) with their own office.

The unique clinical studies that you will have the opportunity to undertake often lead to changes in clinical practice. You will be well supported in a thriving NHS GI research environment. You may be taking bloods, putting cannulas in, watching gastroscopies or colonoscopies. There is plenty of patient contact and you will feel that you are contributing to the team. Previous students have loved the friendly clinical environment.

Ethics requirements

Secondary data or tissue samples - UREC or NHS REC ethics approval already received for the intended research project

What is the risk of traumatic intracranial bleeding in patients with mild head injury taking antiplatelet medications presenting to emergency departments?

Current guidance from the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), published in 2023, provides limited support for decision making for clinicians investigating patients with head injuries taking antiplatelets. Patients with more severe injuries will meet standard imaging criteria and undergo a CT head scan to detect and delineate any traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, most head injuries are classified as ‘mild’ and for patients that do not meet standard imaging criteria the guidelines recommend ‘considering’ a CT scan, with no further advice provided to inform decisions. 

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Supervisors

Professor Gordon Fuller (g.fuller@sheffield.ac.uk)

Professor Steve Goodacre (steve.goodacre@sheffield.ac.uk)

Abstract 

Routinely imaging all patients with mild head injury would detect any cases with intracranial haemorrhage (ICH). This would inform a risk/benefit decision to withhold or stop antiplatelets, and aid decisions on whether a patient requires admission to hospital for observation or requires follow up. More rarely, immediate treatment to reverse the effects of antiplatelets, or neurosurgery could be indicated if a higher acuity TBI was found. 

Conversely, the risk of intracranial bleeding appears to be extremely low in these patients and unnecessary CT head scans will result in increased NHS costs, prolonged patient stays, increased emergency department crowding, delayed access for other more relevant CT scans, and, in younger patients, radiation exposure that could cause iatrogenic cancer. Research providing evidence about when CT head imaging can be safely avoided is required to inform clinician management decisions and avoid these consequences.

Methodology

• The following research would be conducted:
• Literature review of existing research in this area
• Survey of UK emergency departments to determine current management in this area]
• Collecting data on mild head injury patients taking antiplatelets in the Northern General emergency department.
• Calculating the risk of intracranial bleeding and looking for an predictive clinical features.

Type of project

Clinical or Surgical project: based in the clinical environment with patients/including service evaluation

Additional training or teaching

Students could access STATA or R training for the analysis.

Systematic review training modules could be helpful for the literature review.

Ethics requirements

Secondary data or tissue samples that was not originally collected for research: UREC or NHS REC approval required

What is the risk of major trauma in patients who have fallen down a full flight of stairs?

What are the most common injuries and outcomes for these patients? What are the clinical predictors of major trauma?

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Supervisors

Professor Gordon Fuller (g.fuller@sheffield.ac.uk)

Professor Steve Goodacre (steve.goodacre@sheffield.ac.uk)

Abstract and methodology

Research activities will include:

• Updated literature/systematic review
• Coding of emergency department clinical records
• Analysis looking at the risk of major trauma in patients who have fallen down a flight of stairs

Type of project

Clinical or Surgical project: based in the clinical environment with patients/including service evaluation

Additional training or teaching

Systematic review and Stata or R training

Ethics requirements

Secondary data or tissue samples that was not originally collected for research: UREC or NHS REC approval required

Emergency department attendances with hypertension: retrospective observational cohort study

What are the characteristics of patients attending the emergency department (ED) with hypertension and how are these patients managed?

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Supervisors

Professor Steve Goodacre (steve.goodacre@sheffield.ac.uk)

Professor Gordon Fuller (g.fuller@sheffield.ac.uk)

Abstract and methodology

Background

Emergency Department (ED) attendances with hypertension in England and Wales have doubled in recent years. We know little about why patients are attending the ED with hypertension in increasing numbers or how they should be managed.

Aims and objectives

To describe the characteristics of patients attending the ED with hypertension, the tests and treatments they receive, and their subsequent referral and follow-up arrangements.

Research methodology

This will be a single-centre, retrospective observational study. We will provide the student with a list of patients who attended the Northern General Hospital Emergency Department in 2024 with hypertension (probably around 400-500). The student will then access the hospital IT systems to collect data describing patient characteristics, tests and treatments received, and the planned referral and follow-up. They will develop an analysis plan, with statistical advice and support, before undertaking descriptive statistical analysis.

The project will produce new data to assist with development of guidelines for ED management of hypertension. We anticipate that it will lead to presentation at the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Annual Scientific Conference and publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Type of project

Clinical or Surgical project: based in the clinical environment with patients/including service evaluation

Additional training or teaching

The student will develop skills in project management, quantitative data collection, statistical analysis, interpretation of quantitative data, presentation of findings, and writing for publication.

Ethics requirements

Service evaluation: NHS Service Evaluation number required.

University of Sheffield ethics approval will additionally be required.

Thermography and hyperspectral Imaging in critical limb ischaemia (CLI) – observational feasibility study

To evaluate the feasibility, diagnostic consistency, and clinical potential of thermal and hyperspectral imaging for assessing tissue perfusion and viability in patients with Critical Limb Ischaemia (CLI).

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Supervisors

Dr Stephen Goode (stephen.goode3@nhs.net)     

Miss Saima Ehsan (Saima.ehsan@nhs.net) 

Background

Accurate assessment of tissue perfusion is crucial in CLI for guiding revascularisation and predicting wound healing and amputation risk. Traditional imaging modalities (angiography, duplex ultrasound) primarily assess macrovessel flow but provide limited insight into microvascular tissue perfusion. Emerging optical techniques such as infrared thermography and hyperspectral imaging (HSI) offer non-invasive, rapid, and quantitative assessment of skin temperature and oxygenation patterns. These technologies may complement existing vascular imaging and provide new biomarkers for tissue viability.

Project overview

This is a mixed methods observational study combining quantitative imaging analysis and qualitative clinical correlation. The student will participate in data collection from patients with CLI undergoing endovascular (1 student) or surgical revascularisation (1x student). Thermal and hyperspectral images will be obtained pre- and post-intervention and compared with standard clinical outcomes and imaging findings (angiography, ABPI, wound scores).

The project will assess:

• Feasibility of thermographic and hyperspectral imaging in the vascular setting.
• Correlation between imaging metrics and clinical outcome measures (tissue loss, healing, amputation-free survival).
• Interobserver reproducibility and technical limitations.

Type of project

Clinical or Surgical project: based in the clinical environment with patients/including service evaluation

Additional training or teaching

Students will receive training in vascular physiology, optical imaging principles, and image analysis. They will be involved in

• collecting thermographic and hyperspectral data in vascular angio or theatre settings
• analysing imaging datasets and correlating with clinical outcomes
• contributing to statistical and visual data interpretation
• observing vascular surgery and interventional radiology procedures to understand the clinical context of CLI management

This project provides exposure to cutting-edge imaging technologies in vascular medicine, hands-on research experience, and opportunities for presentation and publication within a growing field of translational vascular imaging.

Ethics requirements

Secondary data or tissue samples: UREC or NHS REC ethics approval already received for the intended research project

Gastrointestinal BSc projects

Clinical coeliac disease or endoscopy

Learn more about this project

Supervisors

Professor David Sanders (david.sanders1@nhs.net)     

Dr Imran Aziz (imran.aziz1@nhs.net) 

Abstract

There are numerous research projects to choose from in different areas: endoscopy, capsule endoscopy, inflammatory bowel disease, functional gut disorders, coeliac disease and many, many more. Every BSc student to date has published (with a PubMed ID – useful for points in future applications after foundation years). There have been 14x 1st class with honors 

Objectives

We wish to give you 

• a broad base of research learning in a friendly department with excellent support
• fantastic research opportunities and exposure to clinical practice
• clinical confidence from talking to and recruiting patients

During the intercalation application process, you will have the chance to meet with the consultant supervisors within our department who are offering upcoming projects. You may be working with a database or clinical letters, you may have the opportunity to get involved with departmental recruiting (if you wish) for other studies, you will work alongside our nursing and medical team and will gain clinical skills whilst supporting an endoscopy list. 

Type of project

Clinical or surgical project: based in the clinical environment with patients/including service evaluation

Additional training or teaching

You will have excellent in-house methodological support from your supervisor and clinical fellows (doctors who are registrars training to become gastroenterology consultants but undertaking extra research training for an MD) within the department. 

The unique clinical studies that you will have the opportunity to undertake often lead to changes in clinical practice. You will be well supported in a thriving NHS GI research environment. You may be taking bloods, putting cannulas in, watching gastroscopies or colonoscopies. There is plenty of patient contact and you will feel that you are contributing to the team.

Ethics requirements

Secondary data or tissue samples:UREC or NHS REC ethics approval already received for the intended research project