This studentship provides a structured and well-supported placement to introduce the student to a potential career as a clinical academic GP with a particular area of interest in primary care cancer research, as well as developing a strong collaborative network.
The focus of this studentship is to contribute to improved diagnosis of symptomatic cancer within primary care. Cancer care is a major and costly element of HSE services. Over 85% of cancer patients present with symptoms – usually to primary care. Why patients consult their doctors is not well defined, how and why GPs make diagnostic errors or delays is also not well understood. Improved cancer detection may arise from better understanding of risk prediction as well as patient, clinician, and system factors affecting current diagnostic pathways. The availability of primary care data would provide a unique and heretofore unavailable resource in examining the issue of the early detection of cancer and the potential impact on health and social care systems in Ireland.
The studentship will seek to examine the utility of this resource by conducting a feasibility study to build a unique primary care focused research database derived from routinely collected GP data. This research project will be complemented by an experienced supervisor, joining an existing research team, formal training in research techniques, and presentation experience.