Two universities are joining forces to produce faster, more useful summaries of existing health research so that doctors, policymakers, and patients can make better decisions sooner. The problem is that medical evidence piles up faster than anyone can read it. Thousands of new studies appear every year, but busy clinicians and health service managers rarely have time to sift through them all. Traditional evidence reviews can take months or years, by which point the findings may already be out of date. ABEC aims to fix that by developing quicker, more responsive methods for synthesising research—and by making sure those summaries actually get used. If the collaboration succeeds, health and social care decisions across the UK could be based on the most current evidence, not the most convenient. The group plans to produce living recommendations that update automatically as new studies appear, and to build equality and diversity into how evidence is gathered and assessed. That means treatments and policies could become more relevant to disadvantaged communities, not just the average patient. The work also includes training the next generation of evidence reviewers, so the approach outlasts the grant.
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We aim to establish a collaborative initiative between academic researchers from the University of Aberdeen and Queen’s University Belfast - the Aberdeen Belfast Evidence Collaboration (ABEC). We have extensive expertise in undertaking cutting-edge research to improve both the quality and the cost-effectiveness of care and we have a strong track record of producing quantitative and qualitative evidence syntheses and health technology assessments on a broad range of topics, alongside a clear understanding of the methods and processes underpinning their conduct. We are experts in research methodology, including developing the Study Within A Review (SWAR) concept, establishing the Study Within a Trial (SWAT) and the Core Outcomes Measures in Effectiveness Trials (COMET) initiatives as well as the development of methodological tools relevant to the conduct of evidence syntheses (e.g., ROBINS-I, QUADAS-C, PRISMA). In collaboration with Evidence Synthesis Ireland and the Campbell Collaboration, we are developing methods for handling information on equality, diversity, and inclusion in evidence syntheses. We are dedicated to equality, diversity, and inclusion, leading the development of the NIHR INCLUDE Ethnicity Framework and similar frameworks, and our evidence synthesis work will include a focus on tackling health inequalities. We have an excellent record of involving patients alongside academic researchers and content experts in evidence syntheses and health technology assessments. We believe that health and care research should be conducted with patients, service users and the public rather than about them. We are committed to creating a research environment where patients, service users and the public, including those from disadvantaged communities and geographies, are given the opportunity to participate and be involved in review design, conduct and dissemination. Across both institutions, we have strong managerial and leadership ability, strategies to develop capacity, transparent and efficient processes, and high-level methodological skills to ensure that as well as supporting better decision-making, our evidence syntheses are delivered promptly and actively disseminated. Moreover, as ABEC is embedded in a rich research environment, we will rely on a cadre of additional experienced research staff to ensure resilience. We are well connected to networks of experts, nationally and internationally, including other academic research groups, policymakers, Cochrane entities, patient organisations and charities. Multidisciplinarity is a hallmark of our research, we are used to engaging and involving a wide range of stakeholders and partners in our work and have a deep understanding of the evidence synthesis ecosystem and policy stakeholders across the UK. We acknowledge that evidence syntheses need to be more useful, usable, and used. We are fully aware of the challenges ahead, including the need to improve rapid and robust responsive evaluations and the need to make better use of research data to enhance people’s health, well-being, and the social care they receive; to provide living recommendations to maximise impact; to consider the perspectives of a range of stakeholders; to optimise resources and adopt more dynamic dissemination strategies. ABEC is ideally placed to provide the expertise and vision necessary to help NIHR to meet these challenges.
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