The NI Clinical Research Network (NICRN) undertakes Trauma & Orthopaedic research throughout Northern Ireland. The NICRN is part of a UK-wide initiative to provide opportunities for patients and clinicians to participate in high-quality clinical research.
Trauma and Orthopaedics (T&O) has recently joined the Northern Ireland Clinical Research Network (NICRN). The Trauma and Orthopaedic Research Charity (TORC) is a local charity which has already collaborated with NICRN on several national multicentre NIHR trauma studies and helps enable high-quality T&O research to be carried out across Northern Ireland.
The NICRN aims to:
- Focus on all areas of musculoskeletal injury, disease and rehabilitation
- enhance patient outcomes and experience by conducting high quality research which translates into improvements in care, knowledge and understanding.
- Ensuring our clinicians have access to the latest training and research infrastructure is fundamental to this goal.
Areas of interest include the following:
- Enhanced recovery after surgery
- Improved outcomes for major trauma patients
- Fragility fractures care – particularly hip fracture patients
- 90 day complications following joint arthroplasty
- Reduction of blood loss following orthopaedic procedures
- Peri-operative medicine and regional anaesthesia in trauma
- Low cost solutions for orthopaedic procedures
- Psychological impact of trauma and pain on patient recovery
- Surgeon Education through Simulation
- Improved access to leading edge technologies for patients & clinicians
- Building on the current platform to deliver further level 1 research trials
Dr Owen Diamond – BHSCT
Trauma & Orthopaedic Clinical Lead
Mr Owen Diamond was appointed as Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon to the Royal Victoria Hospital and Musgrave Park Hospital in September 2018.
He completed his medical degree in Trinity College Dublin in 2004, a Research Doctorate (MD) in Hip Surgery, in Queens University Belfast in 2013 under the supervision of Professor Beverland. He also completed a Diploma in Sports and Exercise Medicine in the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh in 2010 and a Master of Science in the Critical Appraisal and Understanding of Research at the University of Warwick in 2013 under the tutelage of Professor Matt Costa.
He has specialist interest in Orthopaedic Trauma, including Pelvic and Acetabular fractures, and also in Elective Orthopaedics including, Hip and Knee Arthroplasty and Young Adult Hip Surgery . Following completion of his Orthopaedic training in Northern Ireland, he spent extensive time on Fellowship at internationally renowned centres in Birmingham, Vancouver, Bristol and the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.
He has an interest in research into the outcomes for trauma patients, in particular fragility fracture care, pelvic & acetabular trauma and ankle fractures. He has worked to bring National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) in Orthopaedic Trauma to Northern Ireland and was recently the local Principle Investigator for an NIHR study investigating the benefits of early weight bearing after ankle fracture fixation (WAX). With 562 recruits upon completion, the WAX study is the largest RCT ever completed on operatively treated ankle fractures and Royal Victoria Hospital was the second largest recruiter in the NHS, with 62 recruits.
Dr Diamond has been a co-lead and PI for the Clinical Research Network since 2020.
Contact email: Owen.Diamond@belfasttrust.hscni.net
Dr Richard Napier – BHSCT
Trauma & Orthopaedic Clinical Lead
Richard Napier completed his medical training at Queens University Belfast in 2005. He holds a Masters in Clinical Education (Queens University Belfast – 2012) and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 2015.
He worked as a clinical research Fellow in hip and knee arthroplasty under Professor Beverland in 2011 and after completing his training in N. Ireland he undertook Fellowship training in arthroplasty, knee and sports medicine within internationally renowned orthopaedic research centres in Exeter and Melbourne.
He is passionate about medical education and research. He is currently a member of the N. Ireland Trauma & Orthopaedics Training Committee. Richard has published on a wide variety of orthopaedics and trauma, and has presented this research both nationally and internationally. Through his work with TORC (Trauma & Orthopaedics Research Charity) and their research team he is a Principle investigator (PI) on a number of local and national studies. He was awarded PI of the year in 2020 for his involvement in children’s trauma research.
Dr Napier has been a co-lead and PI for the Clinical Research Network since 2020.
Contact email: Richard.Napier@belfasttrust.hscni.net
Current Trauma & Orthopaedic Research Studies
POLYFIX-DCM
Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy [DCM] is a common condition caused when arthritic changes in the neck compress the spinal cord. It affects up to 2% of adults and causes numb and clumsy hands, imbalance, and bladder problems. Often it continues to worsen with time and left untreated lead to severe disability and paralysis. The only current treatment is surgery to create space for the spinal cord. Surgery is able to stop further deterioration and lead to some improvements, and a number of different procedures are used.
Study Website: https://polyfix-dcm.com
NICRN Research Team Contact: TOResearchNurse@belfasttrust.hscni.net
WHiTE-FRUITI
Fractures of the proximal femur (hip fractures) are one of the greatest challenges facing the medical community. In 1990, a global incidence of 1.31 million was reported and was associated with 740,000 deaths. Hip fractures constitute a heavy socioeconomic burden worldwide. The cost of this clinical problem is estimated at 1.75 million disability adjusted life years lost, 1.4% of the total healthcare burden in established market economies.
Fragility fractures typically affect people over 60 years of age because as we get older, our bones get weaker and break more easily. One type of fragility fracture that presents one of the greatest challenges for the medical community is the fracture of the neck of femur, or hip fracture. Over 70,000 hip fractures occur each year in the UK and the total cost of care is over £2 billion. Acute NHS Trust hospitals collect data on patients admitted with a hip fracture as a part of the National Hip Fracture Audit. The WHiTE study is an observational study that aims to supplement this data with information that is important to patients, such as their mobility after their injury, ability to do usual activities, self-care, pain, and fear of falling. We also collect information about the cost of care to patients and the NHD post-surgery. The WHiTE Study is currently recruiting in over 25 acute hospitals across the UK.
This study aims to capture data relating to quality of life and resource use from a cohort of patients representative of the national UK hip fracture population. Patients will be enrolled to this cohort either in isolation (i.e. they only enrol to the cohort) or their data will be included in this cohort as a results of enrolment in one of the associated randomised clinical trials on hip fracture.
Study Website: WHiTE Study — Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences
NICRN Research Team Contact: TOResearchNurse@belfasttrust.hscni.net
TOTS
Toddler’s fractures (non-displaced spiral fractures of the tibia) are common in young children after a fall or twisting injury. In the UK, treatment varies—some clinicians use casts or boots to immobilise the leg, while others manage the injury with observation and pain relief. The study will involve 494 children aged 9 months to 3 years across about 20 different hospitals. Eligible children will be identified when they arrive at the Emergency Department or Fracture Clinic with a suspected or confirmed toddler’s fracture. Parents will be shown a short animation about the study,and given more information if they would like to receive it. Most patient facing documents will be available in 6 languages,which were determined based on the National Consensus as well as discussions with the populations seen at sites. If parents agree that their child can participate,they will sign a consent form on the child’s behalf.
Study Website: TOTS Study
NICRN Research Team Contact: TOResearchNurse@belfasttrust.hscni.net
For further information on previous research studies undertaken in the Orthopaedics group please follow the link below to our Good News page.