ORCA Research Projects

Please visit this page regularly as we intend to broaden our research activities.

For further information please contact Benedetta La Corte: e-mail blacorte@rcog.org.uk, tel 020 7772 6347.

Current Projects

1. Hospital Episode Statistics as a source of information on safety and quality in gynaecology to support revalidation

Start date: October 2010
Project Overview: The overall aim of the project is to investigate the value of HES data to assess the quality of gynaecological care in English NHS trusts. The specific objectives are:

  • To undertake a rapid review of initiatives that have used administrative data to evaluate the quality of gynaecological care in the United Kingdom.  This review will describe the scope of the individual studies, the methods used for risk adjustment, the type of outcomes used, the clinical acceptability, and the extent of implementation.
  • To compare HES data with clinicians’ own data on a number of gynaecological treatments.
  • To compare HES data with data in relevant clinical databases.
  • To develop a strategy for the use of administrative data to evaluate safety and effectiveness of gynaecological care.

2. Evaluation of surgical treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding using Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) data

Start Date: January 2008
Output:

  • Cromwell D. Regional variation in surgery for menorrhagia in England. British International Congress of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, June 2010, Belfast.
  • Cromwell D, Mahmood T, Templeton A, van der Meulen J. Surgery for menorrhagia within English regions: variation in rates of endometrial ablation and hysterectomy. BJOG 2009;116:1373–1379.
  • Cromwell D, Mahmood T, Templeton A, van der Meulen J. Surgical treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding within England: variation in rates of endometrial ablation and hysterectomy. HSRN conference “Delivering better health services”, June 2009, Birmingham.

3. Evaluation of caesarean section rates using Hospital Episodes Statistics

Start Date: June 2008
Output:

  • Gurol-Urganci I, Cromwell DA, Edozien LC, Smith GC, Onwere C, Mahmood TA, Templeton A, van der Meulen JH. Risk of placenta praevia in second birth after first birth caesarean section: a population-based study in England. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2011 Nov 21;11(1):95. [Epub ahead of print] http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2393/11/95
  • Onwere C, Gurol-Urganci I, Cromwell DA, Mahmood TA, Templeton A, van der Meulen JH. Maternal morbidity associated with placenta praevia among women who had elective caesarean section. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2011 Nov;159(1):62-6. Epub 2011 Aug 10.
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21835537
  • Gurol-Urganci I, Cromwell DA, Edozien LC, Onwere C, Mahmood TA, van der Meulen JH. The Timing of Elective Caesarean Delivery between 2000 and 2009 in England. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2011 Jun 8;11:43.
    http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2393/11/43
  • Onwere C. Maternal morbidity associated with placenta praevia among women who had elective caesarean section – Not as bad as we thought? London Deanery Third Annual London Specialty School of Obstetrics & Gynaecology Trainee Day Conference, February 2011, London.
  • Onwere C. Variation in Caesarean Section rates within England. British International Congress of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, June 2010, Belfast.
  • Bragg F, Cromwell DA, Edozien L, Gurol-Urganci I, Mahmood A, Templeton A, van der Meulen JH. Variation in rates of caesarean section among English NHS trusts after accounting for maternal and clinical risk: cross sectional study. BMJ 2010;341:c5065 [http://www.bmj.com/content/341/bmj.c5065?tab=full].  
  • Bragg F. Regional variation in caesarean section rates in England using routinely collected data, 2005/06. MPH Thesis, LSHTM, 2008.

Completed Projects

1. Safer Practice in Intrapartum Care : Care Bundle Project
Jointly with the Royal College of Midwives and the National Patient Safety Agency

Start date: Oct 2007
Outputs:

  • RCOG/RCM/NPSA. Safer Practice in Intrapartum Care Project - Care Bundles. Report. London: RCOG, March 2010
  • Paterson-Brown S, Singh C. Developing a care bundle for the management of suspected placenta accreta. The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist 2010;12:21–27.
  • Johnson S, Singh C. Developing and testing care bundles to improve patient safety intrapartum. International Forum on Quality and Safety in Health Care, March 2009, Berlin.

2. Children’s and Maternity Services in 2009: Working time solutions
(Joint project with Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health)

Start date: May 2007
Outputs:

3. Prevention of early-onset Neonatal Group B Streptococcal Disease

Start Date: June 2005
Outputs:

  • Cromwell D, Joffe T, van der Meulen J, Dhillon C, Hughes R, Murphy D. “Prevention of early-onset Neonatal Group B Streptococcal Disease in UK obstetric Units”. Final report. London: RCOG, January 2007
  • Cromwell D, Joffe T, Hughes R, Murphy D, Dhillon C, van der Meulen J. The local adaptation of national recommendations for preventing early-onset neonatal Group B Streptococcal disease in UK maternity units. J Health Serv Res Policy. 2008; 13 Suppl 2: 52-7.
  • Cromwell D, Joffe T, van der Meulen J, Dhillon C, Hughes R, Murphy D. Differences between hospital protocols & the national guideline on preventing early-onset GBS disease. HSRN 2nd annual research meeting, June 2007, Sheffield.
  • Cromwell D, Joffe T, Hughes R, Murphy D, Dhillon C, van der Meulen J. Variation in the adaptation of a guideline on preventing Group B Streptococcal disease by UK maternity units. International Forum on Quality and Safety in Health Care, April 2008, Paris.

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