Health Research: How to be responsive and resilient in the face of crises

How to be responsive and resilient in the face of crises Report Cover

A report from the November 2021 Irish Health Research Forum on the theme Health Research: How to be responsive and resilient in the face of crises.

Based on the discussions at this event and input from our Steering Group, the IHRF makes the following recommendations, under four broad themes

Undertaking more effective and inclusive research
  1. Researchers should ensure that truly inclusive PPI is an essential element of all health research, including in situations of emergency.
  2. The health service should work towards every patient, regardless of their location or doctor, having the possibility to participate in clinical research, should they wish to do so.
  3. Faster & more efficient clinical research should be facilitated through multinational, multicentre mega trials.
Supporting research careers
  1. The HSE should increase the support for healthcare professionals to undertake research and improve the recognition and integration of research nurses.
  2. All funders should move to a more narrative-based assessment of researcher career outputs.
Embracing digital solutions
  1. The Government should make the necessary investment in electronic health records and IT infrastructures in the health service.
  2. Recent innovations in patient e-consent, remote clinical trial monitoring and online researcher training should be retained, developed and funded
  3. Clinical researchers should be empowered to lead, or have meaningful involvement, in the development of data standards.