Non-Musculoskeletal - Keele University
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Primary Care & Health Sciences

Our research on non-musculoskeletal topics

The Centre supports research on a range of other topics that represents important health problems in primary care. Some of this research focuses on symptoms (e.g. headache, sleep problems, fatigue, abdominal symptoms) that share characteristics with musculoskeletal pain, such as the difficulty to provide a medical diagnosis, the episodic nature of symptoms, and uncertainty regarding prognosis and management. The research aims to characterise patterns of primary care consultation for these symptoms, to investigate time to diagnosis, or estimate outcomes of care using routinely collected information from medical records and linked survey data. The research also aims to use information from medical records to investigate the probability of serious outcomes in patients consulting for pain and other common physical symptoms, including cancer, serious cardiovascular events, or mortality. The Centre has a strong interest in multimorbidity, as many older people, especially those with musculoskeletal pain have other health problems such as cardiovascular disease or mental health conditions. Our research investigates the epidemiology of multimorbidity, the experiences and perspectives of people with multiple health problems, and its impact  on health and health care outcomes.

Our current studies on non-musculoskeletal topics:

  • Consultations in Primary Care Archive (CiPCA)
    Funded by Arthritis Research UK Centre of Excellence Award (2008 – 2013)
  • N-PRESS North Staffordshire PREsenting Symptom Study (N-PRESS)
    Funded by NIHR Primary Care Academic Unit award (2005 – 2010)
  • Influence of chronic disease comorbidity on drug utilisation and optimal drug treatment in primary care
    Funded by NIHR Clinical Lectureship
  • Cardiovascular disease and osteoarthritis comorbidity (2C)
    Funded through NIHR Post Doctoral Fellowship Award (2008 – 2010)
  • OA onset in cardiovascular disease groups: A GPRD study
    Funded by Arthritis Research UK Centre of Excellence Award (2008 – 2013)
  • Sickness absence and the certification role: the views of GPs, nurses and allied health professionals
  • Experiences and perspectives of people with comorbidity
    NIHR     National School of Primary Care Research Project Grant