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Teaching and Research

Air Balloon Surgery has for some years had a strong interest in teaching and research, and has developed close links with the Division of Primary Health Care at the University of Bristol. Dr David Memel, former partner, established the Research function in 1996, and since then the practice has been funded as a National Research and Development General Practice.  In October 2005 Air Balloon Surgery achieved RCGP Research Practice accreditation.  

Air Balloon Surgery has recently been approved as a retainer practice and sees this as a first step to renewing its GP Registrar training status. Air Balloon Surgery is a core teaching practice, and all partners are involved in teaching medical students from first to fourth years.  Health Visitors and District Nurses are also involved in teaching nursing students from the University of the West of England.

Research at Air Balloon Surgery

Members of the Practice team have always supported good research studies which will benefit patients. The Research Unit at Air Balloon Surgery started largely as a result of the enthusiasm of Dr David Memel and for over 10 years, the Practice has had its own Research Unit based in the building with two permanent researchers.

The Research Team has three main roles:

  1. To work within the practice team and identify possible improvements based on research evidence.
  2. To support research studies run by Universities and other teams within the NHS which will benefit Air Balloon patients.
  3. To design and undertake externally funded projects which will inform clinical practice and help develop the NHS locally and nationally.

Among current and recent projects that the Practice has been involved in are:

  • Primary care Identification and Referral to Improve Safety of women experiencing partner violence (IRIS): a randomized controlled trial.
  • The Cohort For Skeletal Health In Bristol and Avon (COSHIBA) Study – looking at simple screening for osteoporosis.
  • Physical activity as a treatment for depression (TREAD)
  • Genetic Predictors of treatment response in depression (GenPod)
  • Paracetamol and Ibuprofen for the Treatment of fever in Childhood (PITCH)
  • Prostate cancer testing and treatment study (PROTECT)

Recent externally funded projects include:

  • An evaluation of the smoking cessation service at Air Balloon Surgery and across Bristol PCT.
  • Helping community matrons support patients in taking their medications appropriately; Helping to prevent the hoarding of medications by vulnerable adults.

Research where the research team and other members of the practice have been actively involved has resulted in a number of publications in professional journals, including:

  • COOLING, H. & DUNSTER, W. (2008) Nurse intrauterine device training. Journal of Family Planning & Reproductive Health Care, 34, 193-195.
  • LANGLEY C, MAGGS C, PORTMAN S & DAVIS J (2008) Using a screening questionnaire to reduce non-attendances at first appointments for smoking cessation advice clinics in general practice: A pilot study. International Journal of Health Promotion and Education, in press.
  • MAGGS, C. & LANGLEY, C. (2008) Why patients miss primary care appointments: involving patients in research. Primary Health Care, 18, 34-38.
  • HEWLETT, S., KIRWAN, J., POLLOCK, J., MITCHELL, K., HEHIR, M., BLAIR, P. S., MEMEL, D. & PERRY, M. G. (2005) Patient initiated outpatient follow up in rheumatoid arthritis: Six year randomised controlled trial. British Medical Journal, 330, 171-175.
  • POWELL, J. E., LANGLEY, C., KIRWAN, J., GUBBAY, D., MEMEL, D., POLLOCK, J., MEANS, R. & HEWLETT, S. (2004) Welfare rights services for people disabled with arthritis integrated in primary care and hospital settings: Set-up costs and monetary benefits. Rheumatology, 43, 1167-1172.
  • LANGLEY, C., MEMEL, D. S., KIRWAN, J. R., POLLOCK, J., HEWLETT, S., GUBBAY, D. & POWELL, J. (2004) Using the health assessment questionnaire and welfare benefits advice to help people disabled through arthritis to access financial support. Rheumatology, 43, 863-868.

How you can get involved
The Research Team is helped in its work by the members of the Practice Patient Advisory Panel for Research – patients who have volunteered to look at research ideas, questionnaires and research findings. The Research Team are keen to recruit more patients to the Panel and would welcome inquiries.From time to time they also look at the services the practice has to offer so that we can view these from patients’ points of view. We are currently trying to find out why people choose their General Practice. Do you want to tell us why you chose Air Balloon?

Please contact Chris at the Research Unit on the top floor or e-mail c.maggs@gp-L81038.nhs.uk