Studies List | The Institute of Applied Health Sciences

Studies List

Current studies

We are currently running a number of studies which mainly focus on rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions. Our studies aim to understand disease mechanisms in order to design further research with a goal of working to improve health services for patients.

See below for an overview of our current studies, or click on the associated link to find out more about a particular study.

BRUCES

Name of study (full): Building Rural-Urban healthCare Equity for Scotland (BRUCES)
Disease area: Musculoskeletal conditions, cancer, frailty
Study duration: 01 September 2024 - 31 August 2029
Funder: Chief Scientist Office

Rural-dwellers can receive less or different care from those living in urban areas, resulting in poorer health. To improve care, we need to better understand why rural health outcomes are poorer and identify ways to make it fairer.

The BRUCES project aims to understand how and why health and healthcare for people living in different types of rural communities differs from those living in urban areas. Our findings will be used to develop evidence-based recommendations to improve care.

Status: Active

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CAPE

Name of study (full): Consortium Against Pain InEquality (CAPE) - The impact of adverse childhood experiences on chronic pain and responses to treatment.
Disease area: Chronic pain
Study duration: 01 July 2021 - 30 June 2025
Funder: Medical Research Council and Versus Arthritis

CAPE is a consortium whose purpose is to further our understanding of how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) might lead to an increased vulnerability to chronic pain in adulthood. As part of this consortium, the team in Aberdeen will be using data from studies across the world which have collected data on ACEs and pain. We will analyse the factors that may contribute to, or protect against, people who report ACEs developing chronic pain in later life.

Status: Active

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CHIPP

Name of study (full): High Impact Chronic Pain and UK Biobank: presentation, transitions, and targets for intervention (Chronic High Impact Pain Project, CHIPP)
Disease area: Chronic pain
Study duration: 01 March 2022 - 28 February 2025
Funder: Medical Research Council and Versus Arthritis as part of the APDP initiative.

Up to half of adults in the UK have chronic pain. Many people with pain can function with minimal disruption. About a quarter of those with chronic pain though suffer disability and distress. This type of pain is high impact chronic pain. There isn't much research on this type of pain. This project aims to find out the causes of high impact chronic pain. It will assess why people develop it, and how they recover. This will tell us which population level treatment and management methods to use.

Status: Active

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FocalPoint

Name of study (full): What helps people with musculoskeletal pain stay in the labour market, if they are self-employed, precarious or portfolio workers? Patients' and First Contact Practitioners' views (FocalPoint)
Disease area: Musculoskeletal conditions (various)
Study duration: 01 July 2023 - 31 March 2024
Funder: NHS Grampian

In this study we will interview workers living with MSK pain to explore their experiences of being self-employed or in otherwise 'non-traditional' or flexible modes of employment such as freelance or contract work or zero-hours contract work, and how FCP consultations might be used to support their working lives. We will also interview FCPs to investigate their experiences of supporting these workers.

Status: Complete (analysis ongoing)

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iPRePaRe

Name of study (full): implementing Patient Research Partner Engagement in Research (iPRePaRe)
Research area: Patient and Public Involvement in rheumatology and musculoskeletal research
Study duration: 01 July 2023 - 30 June 2024
Funder: European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR)

The iPRePaRe study will explore the way in which the work of patient research partners (PRPs) in rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease (RMD) research is perceived by the partners themselves and by RMD researchers. To do this we will work with patient partners to co-design a questionnaire that will be sent to PRPs and RMD researchers. The questionnaire will be followed up by interviews with PRPs and RMD researchers.

Status: Complete

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LIFT

Name of study (full): Lessening the Impact of Fatigue in inflammatory rheumatic disease: a randomised clinical Trial
Disease area: Ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosis
Study duration: 1 August 2016 - 31 October 2021
Funder: Versus Arthritis (formerly Arthritis Research UK)

Fatigue is common and disabling for most patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease. Therapies designed to improve physical activity and talking treatments are helpful in reducing the burden of fatigue, however few patients have access to these treatments on the NHS. This study aims to improve access to treatments which alleviate fatigue in people with inflammatory rheumatic conditions, such as physical activity and talking therapy.

Status: Complete

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Making it Work™ - Scotland

Name of study (full): Supporting people with musculoskeletal disorders in Scotland to remain in work: adapting the Making it Work™ intervention developed for people with inflammatory arthritis in Canada (Making it Work)
Disease area: Inflammatory and non-inflammatory musculoskeletal conditions
Study duration: 01 March 2022 - 31 March 2025
Funder: Chief Scientist Office

Musculoskeletal conditions affect around 1 in 3 Scottish adults and have a substantial impact on individuals' work. There is a lack of services supporting individuals with long-term conditions to remain working if they wish to do so. Making it Work™ is an online self-management programme developed in Canada which supports people working with inflammatory arthritis. The programme has been successful in helping individuals feel more capable to meet work demands and has reduced the likelihood of extended sickness absences.

We will seek input from patients, employers, and healthcare professionals on aspects of the programme to modify and expand in order to make it relevant for people with a wider range of musculoskeletal conditions in Scotland, including non-inflammatory conditions such as osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia and chronic pain. Based on this feedback we will make changes to the programme and establish how it can be delivered within NHS Scotland.

Status: Research complete; implementation of programme in progress

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PACFiND

Name of study (full): PAtient-centred Care for FIbromyalgia: New pathway Design
Disease area: Fibromyalgia
Study duration: 01 February 2019 - 30 November 2025
Funder: Arthritis UK

Fibromyalgia is a common, long term condition causing symptoms of widespread pain, fatigue and sleep disturbance. Once diagnosed, there is limited evidence available on how to organise health services to deliver recommended treatments to people with fibromyalgia. Therefore, patients can feel dissatisfied with current services and believe that no-one is willing to take responsibility for their care.

This study aims to improve healthcare services for patients with fibromyalgia. The hope is to provide a timely diagnosis and ensure everyone will have access to effective treatments, ultimately leading to better outcomes for patients.

Status: Active

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PIOKNEER

Name of study (full): PrIOritising early detection of KNEE osteoaRthritis (PIOKNEER)
Disease area: Osteoarthritis (knee)
Study duration: 01 September 2025 - 30 August 2030
Funder: Arthritis UK

The PIOKNEER study aims to develop new ways to detect and monitor early changes that occur before osteoarthritis of the knee can be seen on X-rays using innovative imaging and biological techniques. We will use a new imaging method developed in Aberdeen, Field-Cycling Imaging, together with biological samples and patient reported data, to follow 300 people aged 35–70 with knee pain over four years. The findings will guide earlier diagnosis, more personalised treatments, and better support for those living and working with early-stage knee osteoarthritis.

Status: Active

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QUICK

Name of study (full): QUantifying the Impact of Chronic pain on engagement in paid worK (QUICK)
Disease area: Chronic pain conditions (various)
Study duration: 01 June 2021 - 31 October 2024
Funder: Medical Research Council

Chronic pain has many effects on the ways that people engage with work, however, there is currently no standard questionnaire that can fully explore and measure the nature of these impacts within different work settings. Existing questionnaires tend to assume people have one job with a certain number of hours every week. They do not ask about the different ways pain might affect work, and they are not designed for modern ways of working, such as holding several part-time jobs or having "zero hours" contracts.

This study aimed to develop a questionnaire that can be used to assess the many different ways in which chronic pain affects work ability, taking into account modern ways of working.

Status: Complete

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UKAR

Name of study (full): UK Antimicrobial Registry (UKAR)
Disease area: Infection and antimicrobial resistance
Study duration: From 01 November 2021
Funder: British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy

Effective antimicrobial agents are a crucial component of modern medicine allowing the elimination or inhibition of growth of all microorganisms. However, their effectiveness is threatened by evolutionary development of certain microbes. According to the WHO, antimicrobial resistance is increasing world-wide, and compromising our ability to treat infectious diseases and undermining many other advances in health and medicine. The purpose of the UKAR is to answer a broad set of research questions around novel anti-microbial agents. It will allow us to describe the use of such novel agents throughout the UK and to quantify the clinical outcomes and safety profile associated with their use in a real world setting.

Status: Active

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UNIQUE

Name of study (full): Understanding the impact of Non-Inflammatory musculoskeletal conditions on work and work transitions: a QUalitativE investigation
Disease area: Non-inflammatory musculoskeletal disease
Study duration: 01 October 2021 - 28 February 2022
Funder: Wellcome Trust Insitutional Strategic Support Fund

Musculoskeletal conditions affect around 1 in 3 of Scotland's population and can have a substantial impact on people's ability to work. The Making it Work™ programme in Canada has been successful in supporting people with inflammatory arthritis to stay in employment for as long as they wish to.

Through a series of telephone interviews with people with non-inflammatory musculoskeletal conditions, the UNIQUE study hopes to identify key issues that are important to these people, and we will to use this information in future to tailor the Making it Work™ programme to the Scottish population and healthcare system, over a wider range of musculoskeletal conditions.

Status: Complete

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VOICES

Name of study (full): Vasculitis Outcomes In relation to Care ExperienceS
Disease area: Systemic vasculitis
Study duration: 01 September 2019 - 30 September 2023
Funder: Versus Arthritis

This study aims to understand which key elements of care delivery are associated with health outcomes of prime importance to individuals with vasculitis. This information will be used to help us better design services and ensure equal access to effective, coordinated care and support.

We will gather information from people with vasculitis and their healthcare records to examine differences in healthcare outcomes across different services in Scotland. Working with healthcare professionals and patients we will understand how vasculitis services are currently organised and how this relates to outcomes. We will also explore what aspects of care patients and staff value most and how they feel care could be improved.

Status: Complete

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