New study into fluid in the middle ear funded
News release from NETSCC, HTA
14 December 2011
A new study looking at the best treatment for children with fluid in the middle ear has been funded by the NIHR HTA programme.
Cleft lip and palate are among the most common inherited abnormalities effecting around one in 700 individuals and approximately 1000 children being born with cleft lip and palate each year. Historically, care for this group of children was delivered in a fragmented way across 57 centres in the UK.
In 1998 the Clinical Standards Advisory Group for Cleft Lip and Palate recommended that care became centralised, consequently eleven multidisciplinary teams were formed in the UK. Preliminary surveys suggest that outcomes have improved, and that this centralised model of care allows the development of a co-ordinated national programme of research.
“Otitis media with effusion is a condition in which fluid collects in the ear and causes hearing loss,” says Professor O’Brien. “Approximately 90 per cent of children with cleft palate have otitis media with effusion at some point, so it is important for us to work with the centres to identify the best type of research for the treatment of this condition.”
The study led by Professor Kevin O’Brien of the University of Manchester, and underpinned by the Healing Foundation Cleft Collective will carry out the research in four stages:
- An evaluation of the current treatment methods in the UK using a survey of clinicians who work in the UK cleft palate centres
- Face-to-face interviews will be conducted with parents and patients to identify whether they would be willing to take part in a clinical trial. The interviews will also help identify the results of treatment that are most important to them
- A web based Delphi survey of clinicians to identify the results of treatment that are important to them and their willingness to take part in future studies
- An economic analysis to identify the costs of different study designs.
- The final stage of the study will evaluate all the evidence obtained to come to a decision on the need for further research and the design of any potential studies that may be carried out.
The Healing Foundation Cleft Collective is a joint research initiative based at the Universities of Manchester and Bristol and funded by the Healing Foundation which is a national fundraising charity championing the cause of people living with disfigurement and visible loss of function (www,thehealingfoundation.org)
For more information view the project page
Notes for editors
1. The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme commissions research about the effectiveness, costs, and broader impact of health technologies for those who use, manage and provide care in the NHS. It is the largest NIHR programme and publishes the results of its research in the Health Technology Assessment journal. The journal’s 2010 Impact Factor (4.197) ranked it in the top 10% of medical and health-related journals. All issues are available for download free of charge from the website, www.hta.ac.uk
2. The National Institute for Health Research provides the framework through which the research staff and research infrastructure of the NHS in England is positioned, maintained and managed as a national research facility. The NIHR provides the NHS with the support and infrastructure it needs to conduct first-class research funded by the Government and its partners alongside high-quality patient care, education and training. Its aim is to support outstanding individuals (both leaders and collaborators), working in world class facilities (both NHS and university), conducting leading edge research focused on the needs of patients. www.nihr.ac.uk
Contact details
Paul Davey, Programme Manager (Communications)
Telephone: 02380 595 4309, Email: P.A.Davey@southampton.ac.uk
Emma Sunderland, Assistant Programme Manager (Communications)
Telephone: 02380 599 094, Email: E.Sunderland@southampton.ac.uk
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