Current Research Projects
CBIG-SCREEN project aims are to reduce inequality by improving the offer of cervical cancer screening to vulnerable and underserved groups. While cervical cancer screening (CCS) programmes can drastically reduce cervical cancer mortality, they remain largely inaccessible and underused by sub populations of vulnerable women, exacerbating inequality. CBIG-SCREEN will help develop sound evidence around barriers to cervical cancer screening and pilot interventions with strategic outcomes to inform policy making to be updated after the decision is made on the categorisation of vulnerable groups.
Last but not the least, the consortium will generate policies, programmes, communications and other services to meet the needs, and advise policymakers to develop recommendations.
Over 5 million women get pregnant in the EU every year and a majority takes at least one medication during pregnancy. As few as 5% of currently available medications have been adequately monitored, tested and labelled with safety information for use in pregnant and breast feeding women. The field, while inherently difficult to study, has suffered from a lack of systematically gathered insights that could lead to more effective data generation methodologies. Fragmentation and misinformation results in confusing and contradictory communication and perception of risks by both health professionals and women and their families.
CONCEPTION aims to establish a trusted ecosystem that can efficiently, systematically, and in an ethically responsible manner, generate and disseminate reliable evidence-based information regarding effects of medications used during pregnancy and breastfeeding to women and their healthcare providers. This will be achieved by generating, cataloguing, linking, collecting and analysing data from pharmacovigilance, modelling, routine healthcare, breastmilk samples through a large network.
IDEAHL – Improving Digital Empowerment for Active Healthy Living is a Coordination and Support Action financed by Horizon Europe. It aims to develop and test new models and approaches of digital health literacy ((d)HL), intervention, development and application through the co-creation of a comprehensive and inclusive EU digital health literacy strategy.
Its ultimate purpose is the empowerment of EU citizens in using digital tools to take a more active role in the management of their own health.
SPIOMET4HEALTH is a project that aims to provide a novel treatment for adolescent girls and young adult women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). PCOS negatively affects the health and quality of life of approximately 110 million women who suffer from this syndrome, as well as their offspring. PCOS has an impact on the emotional, physical, social functioning and behaviour, and family-related activities.
Women with PCOS may have infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods or excessive levels of male hormones (androgens), which are usually present in women in small amounts. Those affected by the syndrome can also suffer from hirsutism, acne and abnormal body fat distribution, which in turn, tends to decrease self-confidence and self-esteem. Consequently, approximately 40% of women with PCOS are known to experience depression or anxiety.
Real4Reg is a consortium of ten European institutions that aims to promote the use of real world data (national healthcare registers and claims data) to support the regulatory decisions about medicines. Real4Reg will take advantage of ground breaking technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.
The structure and approach of our project aim to facilitate the implementation of the effective use of real-world data in regulatory decision making and health technology assessment.
If you want to follow the work of Real4Reg sign up to our newsletter here and follow us on LinkedIn.
Previous Projects
The MyDiabetes project provides information on the services for diabetes and is currently available in five European languages. These include English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. These were developed in partnership with native language speakers. It lists the necessary core information on diabetes diagnosis and care, and the many services available, including those free at the point of use. These resources were designed to support people with diabetes and their carers.
Cancom
This project was launched in 1996 to provide comprehensive cancer information in layman’s terms to women across Europe. These information leaflets were created in consultation with diverse groups of women across Ireland, including cancer survivors. Feedback from various groups ensured that the information was appropriate to women’s needs and used accessible language. The leaflets were reviewed and accepted by medical professionals including oncologists to ensure that the information provided was medically accurate.
The Cancom information was first made available on computer discs. The computer disc was distributed to different women’s groups, clubs and organisations. Having the pack on disc enabled these groups access, view and print out high quality information at a low cost. In 1998, this information was made available on the internet.
Remind was one of the first European projects on Alzheimer’s in Europe, funded in 2009. It was developed by the European Institute of Women’s Health in partnership with Connect.ie. This project summarised brain diseases, their symptoms and side effects of treatment. The Remind project assessed the impact of brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s on a range of stakeholders including patients, their carers, the healthcare system and others.
A secondary objective of this project investigated the practicality of publishing research reports online to reach a larger target audience, whilst also reducing dissemination costs. This was shown to reach the identified research community more efficiently and effectively than through postal methods.
This project was developed with the intention of reaching migrants and other hard to reach populations within the EU.
Description to follow
