Director of Health Services Research Unit
- About
-
- Email Address
- c.r.ramsay@abdn.ac.uk
- Telephone Number
- +44 (0)1224 438142
- Office Address
Health Services Research Unit (HSRU)
3rd Floor, Health Sciences Building,
Foresterhill
Aberdeen AB25 2ZD- School/Department
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
Biography
I am Director of the Health Services Research Unit and Professor of Health Care Evaluation. I also direct the Aberdeen Health Technology Assessment Group, which is the only academic centre in Scotland responsible for providing technology assessment reports for the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
I have wide ranging research interests in health services research with expertise in service improvement research, surgical trial evaluation, and quasi-experimental study designs and as statistical editor for the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care group I have led the worldwide development of systematic review methodology for interrupted time series designs. I serve on several national and international committees and was an inaugural member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Young Academy of Scotland.
Qualifications
- BSc Mathematics and statistics1993 - University of Edinburgh
- PGDip Information Systems1994 - Edinburgh Napier University
- PhD Public Health2000 - University of Aberdeen
- Research
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Research Areas
Accepting PhDs
I am currently accepting PhDs in Nutrition and Health, Dentistry.
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your research ideas further.
Research Specialisms
- Healthcare Science
- Medical Statistics
Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
Supervision
My current supervision areas are: Nutrition and Health, Dentistry.
I provide PhD supervisory support for full or part-time PhD students. Some recent examples include:- Complex designs in randomised clinical trials – a case study in dentistry - Beatriz Goulao
- Interrupted times series (ITS) evaluation - Jemma Hudson
- What are the personal, clinical and social impacts of longer waiting times? A multi-methods study - Elisabeth Kirchner
- Optimising the responsible use of antibiotics - Shazia Yousuf
Funding and Grants
In terms of research grant awards, I have personally been involved as chief investigator or principal applicant on a portfolio of national and international studies generating in excess of £30 million, with £20 million in the last 5 years. The projects include a mix of large scale international trials and methodological studies funded from a variety of sources – all the studies are healthcare policy relevant and of national or international significance.
- Publications
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Page 5 of 9 Results 101 to 125 of 215
Systematic review of the clinical and cost effectiveness of cholecystectomy versus observation/conservative management for uncomplicated symptomatic gallstones or cholecystitis
Surgical Endoscopy, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 637-647Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-014-3712-6
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/5579/1/Brazzelli_2014.pdf
- [ONLINE] https://abdn.pure.elsevier.com/en/en/researchoutput/systematic-review-of-the-clinical-and-cost-effectiveness-of-cholecystectomy-versus-observationconservative-management-for-uncomplicated-symptomatic-gallstones-or-cholecystitis(e29a0a7a-469c-40f1-ad6f-8ca6e5c92211).html
Specifying the target difference in the primary outcome for a randomised controlled trial: guidance for researchers
Trials, vol. 16, 12Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-014-0526-8
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/4303/1/s13063_014_0526_8.pdf
Optical coherence tomography for the diagnosis of neovascular age-related macular degeneration: A systematic review
Eye (Basingstoke), vol. 28, no. 12, pp. 1399-1406Contributions to Journals: Review articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.2014.214
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Optical coherence tomography for the diagnosis, monitoring and guiding of treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a systematic review and economic evaluation
Health Technology Assessment, vol. 18, no. 69, pp. 1-254Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.3310/hta18690
The use of Latin squares and related block designs in implementation research
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, vol. 67, no. 12, pp. 1299-1301Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2014.07.007
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/4322/1/Steen2014.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Perceived difficulty and appropriateness of decision making by General Practitioners: a systematic review of scenario studies
BMC Health Services Research, vol. 14, 621Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] http://bit.ly/132yl7H
- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-014-0621-2
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/4138/1/s12913_014_0621_2.pdf
Cost-effectiveness of ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy, endovenous laser ablation or surgery as treatment for primary varicose veins from the randomized CLASS trial
British Journal of Surgery, vol. 101, no. 12, pp. 1532-1540Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/bjs.9595
Observational study of current use of selective decontamination of the digestive tract in UK critical care units
British Journal of Anaesthesia, vol. 113, no. 4, pp. 610-617Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/bja/aeu108
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
A randomized trial comparing treatments for varicose veins
The New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 371, no. 13, pp. 1218-1227Contributions to Journals: ArticlesA cross-specialty survey to assess the application of risk stratified surgery for differentiated thyroid cancer in the UK
Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, vol. 96, no. 6, pp. 466-474Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1308/003588414X13946184902884
Practicalities of using a modified version of the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool for randomised and non-randomised study designs applied in a health technology assessment setting.
Research Synthesis Methods, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 200-211Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jrsm.1102
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/4901/1/Robertson2014.docx
Clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of cholecystectomy compared with observation/conservative management for preventing recurrent symptoms and complications in adults presenting with uncomplicated symptomatic gallstones or cholecystitis: a systematic review and economic evaluation
Health Technology Assessment, vol. 18, no. 55, pp. 1-102Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.3310/hta18550
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/4180/1/Brazzelli_2014.pdf
The use of segmented regression in analysing interrupted time series studies: an example in pre-hospital ambulance care
Implementation Science, vol. 9, 77Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-9-77
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/3325/1/Taljaard_2014.pdf
Use of methods for specifying the target difference in randomised controlled trial sample size calculations: Two surveys of trialists' practice
Clinical Trials, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 300-308Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1740774514521907
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/3324/1/Cook_2014.pdf
Methods for specifying the target difference in a randomised controlled trial: the Difference ELicitation in TriAls (DELTA) systematic review
PLoS Medicine, vol. 11, no. 5, e1001645Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001645
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/3280/1/Hislop_2014.pdf
Assessing methods to specify the target difference for a randomised controlled trial: DELTA (Difference ELicitation in TriAls) review
Health Technology Assessment, vol. 18, no. 28, pp. v-xxii, 1-175Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.3310/hta18280
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/3320/1/Cook_2014.pdf
Protocol for the United Kingdom Rotator Cuff Study (UKUFF): a randomised controlled trial of open and arthroscopic rotator cuff repair
Bone & Joint Research, vol. 3, no. 5, pp. 155-160Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1302/2046-3758.35.2000270
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/3315/1/Carr_2014.pdf
Evaluating an audit and feedback intervention for reducing antibiotic prescribing behaviour in general dental practice (the RAPiD trial): a partial factorial cluster randomised trial protocol
Implementation Science, vol. 9, 50Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-9-50
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/3314/1/Prior_2014.pdf
Variation of clinical outcomes used in glaucoma randomised controlled trials: a systematic review
British Journal of Ophthalmology, vol. 98, no. 4, pp. 464-468Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bjophthalmol-2013-304323
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/4033/1/Ismail_2014.pdf
Is it worthwhile to conduct a randomized controlled trial of glaucoma screening in the United Kingdom?
Journal of Health Services Research & Policy, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 42-51Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1355819613499748
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/3796/1/Burr_2014.pdf
Determining information for inclusion in a decision-support intervention for clinical trial participation: A modified Delphi approach
Clinical Trials, vol. 10, no. 6, pp. 967-976Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1740774513508339
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/4133/1/Gillies_2013.pdf
Determining items for inclusion in a decision support intervention for clinical trial participation: a modified Delphi approach
Contributions to Journals: Conference ArticlesTheoretical and empirical dimensions of the Aberdeen Glaucoma Questionnaire: a cross sectional survey and principal component analysis
BMC Ophthalmology, vol. 13, 72Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2415-13-72
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/3312/1/Prior_2013.pdf
IQuaD dental trial; improving the quality of dentistry: a multicentre randomised controlled trial comparing oral hygiene advice and periodontal instrumentation for the prevention and management of periodontal disease in dentate adults attending dental primary care
BMC Oral Health, vol. 13, 58Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6831-13-58
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/2970/1/Clarkson_2013.pdf
Relative effectiveness of robot-assisted and standard laparoscopic prostatectomy as alternatives to open radical prostatectomy for treatment of localised prostate cancer: a systematic review and mixed treatment comparison meta-analysis
BJU International, vol. 112, no. 6, pp. 798-812Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bju.12247
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/2983/1/Robertson_2013.pdf