Undergraduate Student Internship Programme

Open Science advocates for open access to research, including data that has been generated or captured through a trial. In the UK there has been a movement toward adopting open science with increasing expectation amongst funders and publishers of health and social care research that data be made available for re-use. We are currently preparing a dataset collected through the IMPPP trial so that it can be used by other researchers for secondary analysis.

Improving Medicines use in People with Polypharmacy in Primary Care – The IMPPP trial

The Improving Medicines use in People with Polypharmacy in Primary Care (IMPPP) cluster randomised trial evaluated a complex medication review intervention against usual care. The intervention included a clinical informatics tool to identify patients aged 18+, receiving ≥5 long-term medications and with potentially inappropriate prescribing. Training was provided to clinicians to support delivery of a four-stage medication review (i.e. a pharmacist case-note review, interprofessional collaborative discussion between the pharmacist and a general practitioner, a review with patient, and follow-up where clinically indicated). Alongside this an integrated process evaluation was also conducted.

With participant consent, the trial team collected different types of data, including data from electronic health records, training evaluation forms, patient participant questionnaires, semi-structured interviews with clinicians and patients and audio-recordings of medication reviews.

Student project:
You will be supported by Dr Caddick and Dr McCahon to prepare a data deposit of IMPPP trial data for the University of Bristol Research Data Repository. This will include discussion of ethical considerations, how to contextualise a research dataset with useful metadata and develop guides to enable use of a secondary research dataset.

This is an opportunity for an ambitious undergraduate student looking for hands-on experience in cutting-edge applied research. The intern will be able to embed themselves with an active, multi-disciplinary research group of 20 people (Centre for Applied Excellence in Skin and Allergy Research, CAESAR) tackling real-world challenges. CAESAR sits within the Centre for Academic Primary Care and focuses on improving the diagnosis and treatment of common skin and allergy problems in primary care, with a particular emphasis on childhood eczema and food allergies. Directed by Professor Matthew Ridd, CAESAR wis supported by a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Professorship, aiming to address practical questions relevant to patients and healthcare providers.

The intern will join a multidisciplinary team and observe and involve themselves in the following on-going programmes of research:

• Transforming Outcomes for Paediatric Allergy in Primary Care (TOPIC): seeks to enhance care for children with eczema and food allergies by investigating effective and safe use of treatments like emollients and topical corticosteroids, evaluating the impact of primary care eczema clinics, identifying research priorities for paediatric food allergies and exploring the impact of early introduction of food allergens.
• Trial of Food Allergy (IgE) Tests for Eczema Relief (TIGER): aims to determine whether food allergy test-guided dietary advice can improve disease control in children with eczema.
• AmiTriptyline for the Prevention of Post-Herpetic Neuralgia (ATHENA): is evaluating if early administration of amitriptyline can prevent long-term pain following shingles.

Background:

The general practice estate comprises a huge variety of different types of building across England. It is estimated that around 22% buildings that are currently in use were built before the founding of the NHS in 1948. The physical infrastructure of general practice is a growing concern for many bodies, including NHS England and the Royal College of General Practitioners [RCGP]. In 2023 a survey to Royal College of General Practice members revealed that 2 in 5 felt that their premises were not fit for purpose, citing structural issues like mould, leaks and drafts and 88% reported insufficient consulting rooms. Despite calls to invest in infrastructure, the buildings of general practice are under-researched and very little is understood about the ways in which these physical spaces shape and affect the care that is delivered within them

Development work:

We have received development funding to inform our work investigating the buildings and interior spaces of general practice. We will hold a series of workshops with staff and patients who use these buildings to jointly identify research priorities and co-develop questions for our future work. We will engage with Deep-End practices and practices in rural locations to explore questions of inequality and whether these are reinforced through physical spaces and buildings.  

The student intern will work with us to design and deliver patient and public involvement (PPI) and stakeholder workshops, to attend workshops (where possible), to contribute to writing up notes and reports and designing future research in this area.

Models of care for people living with multiple long-term conditions

Systematic Review Assessing the Role of Digital Health Technology in Optimising Medication Adherence in Older Patients with Asthma or COPD

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a form of large vessel vasculitis effecting older people. It can cause serious complications, including blindness. Rapid treatment is required, but when symptoms do not present in a typical pattern, recognition and timely treatment can be difficult. This internship will build on previous work using primary care records (from the Clincial Practice Research Datalink, CPRD) of people with and without a diagnosis of GCA to understand whether results of common investigations (e.g. blood tests) can be used to increase the suspicion of GCA in people presenting to primary care.

We already have a dataset in which we have looked at two investigations (blood pressure, haemoglobin). Before the internship starts, we will gain permissions from CPRD to extend this project to include other common investigations (e.g. ferritin, platelets) and develop clincial code lists. The intern will work with the lead supervisor to extract the results of the investigations from the CPRD dataset, process them and compare the frequency of test requests and abnormal findings between those with and without GCA.

Background:

Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory condition predominantly affecting those aged over 50 years, typically treated with glucocorticoids (GCs). Due to GC side effects, including weight gain, and persistent symptoms, patients are often keen to explore other potential treatment options.

Investigating the value of non-pharmacological therapies (e.g. diet and exercise) in PMR has been highlighted as a research priority in 2015 international guideline recommendations. This project will explore what type of lifestyle (e.g. exercise, physical activity, diet, weight) interventions are suggested to be valuable or are used by people living with PMR to inform the future development of a lifestyle intervention.

Research question:
What lifestyle advice is recommended/used by people living with Polymyalgia Rheumatica.

Aim of project:
To identify lifestyle interventions which are recommended for or used by people living with Polymyalgia Rheumatica.

Objectives of project and internship: The successful applicant will:-
1) Undertake scoping review training.
2) Complete a scoping review protocol addressing the research question.
3) Undertake the scoping review as per JBI Evidence Synthesis JBI Evidence Synthesis of published and grey literature relating to people with PMR.
4) Summarise findings in a report.
5) Present findings in a supportive research environment
6) Draft a journal article describing project findings and implications for practice.
7) Be supported throughout by experienced allied health professional educators.

The intern will have the opportunity to present at a Patient and Public Involvement meeting facilitated by the SPCR to discuss their project with public contributors.

This project, in collaboration with NHS Frimley ICB, offers interns hands-on experience with real-world patient data in developing an assessment instrument for patient satisfaction with ambulatory continuous glucose monitoring.

Supervised by two academics, interns will engage with stakeholders from NHS organisations, gaining valuable insights into healthcare research and policy. They will design the assessment tool, conduct statistical analyses using advanced software, and apply various inferential techniques to interpret findings.

Beyond data analysis, interns will translate their results into policy and practice recommendations, presenting their findings to key stakeholders at Frimley ICB. Additionally, they will refine their academic writing skills by contributing to a manuscript for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.

Care transitions are widely recognised as a vulnerable and high-risk stage in the healthcare journey, involving multiple professionals working across different sectors. In the UK, a significant proportion of people who die by suicide have recently been discharged from secondary mental health services to primary care. Improving systems, processes, and support during this critical period could save lives.

Patients discharged from inpatient mental health wards often highlight safety concerns, such as inadequate information sharing and limited involvement in decisions about their discharge. To address these issues, we have worked with patients, carers, and professionals to co-design and develop a care bundle intervention called SAFER Mental Health (SAFER-MH).

This year, we are running co-design workshops, focus groups, and consensus studies to further refine SAFER-MH and identify what additional support may be needed in primary care. To support this work, we are seeking an intern to assist with data analysis and help develop an academic publication.

The intern will have the opportunity to manage a small qualitative research project. This includes analysing qualitative data that has already been collected, identifying key themes and recommendations using NVivo software, and contributing to drafting a journal article as a co-author. They will also join team meetings, gaining valuable experience in mental health research and care transitions.

This work is part of the wider SAFER-MH project, offering a unique opportunity to learn about how mental health interventions are co-designed with input from those directly impacted. You can find more details about the study here.

A diverse range of people engaging, getting involved and taking part in primary healthcare research is important to ensure that research questions, methods and outcomes are relevant and applicable to our diverse population. However, there are many people who are underrepresented and underserved in research. Effective community engagement can address this, along with making inclusion a key condition for NIHR funding.

Traditionally in Afro-Caribbean society, young people visit elder members to learn practical life skills, such as sewing and cooking, parenting and to share experiences. This is known colloquially as visiting ‘Grandma’s House’. We will replicate this generation-to-generation support model to pilot a culturally suitable approach to engaging the public with health, stimulating dialogue and building trust. Grandma’s House, video, including an introduction from its originator Monica Tucker is available (https://youtu.be/Fxhedzl84vg)

We will work with community members in the Beechdale estate of Nottingham City which is diverse and in the most deprived decile nationally. Together, we will highlight, celebrate and apply the community’s shared cultural heritage to strengthening community cohesion, creating educational opportunities, tackling taboos and building stronger relationships between community members, primary healthcare researchers and primary health and social care services.

We will launch and run Grandma’s House events, tying in with national days of celebration such as National Windrush Day (22 June) as mini proof-of-concept activities. We will record these events through informal group activities, analyse the information gathered and build the outcomes into a grant application. The intern will contribute to event delivery, information gathering and analysis.

This 4-week internship provides undergraduate students with a holistic experience in primary care education. Hosted by the University’s Primary Care Education Unit, the aim is to develop students’ understanding of medical education, teaching methodologies, and quality improvement in healthcare education.
Throughout the internship, students will shadow faculty members, observing how primary care teaching is delivered to medical students. They will gain insight into curriculum design and innovative teaching methods. Additionally, students will actively participate in delivering educational sessions, allowing them to develop their own teaching skills under supervision.

A key component is involvement in a Quality Improvement (QI) exercise, where students will assess an aspect of the education unit’s teaching practices or resources. Working collaboratively, they will identify areas for improvement, gather feedback, and propose practical recommendations, enhancing their skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork.

By the end of the internship, students will have a deeper appreciation of primary care education, an improved ability to engage in medical teaching, and hands-on experience in quality improvement. This program is ideal for those interested in medical education, academic careers, or leadership roles in healthcare.

People are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the prime of their working years. However, they often leave the workforce prematurely due to MS symptoms and difficulties managing workplace relationships and performance. Vocational rehabilitation interventions have the potential to improve work outcomes for people with MS, but the evidence is inconclusive to date.

This project involves a multicentre, feasibility, parallel-group randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing a MS vocational rehabilitation (MSVR) intervention plus usual care (n=30) with usual care alone (n=30). This study includes an embedded mixed methods process evaluation. People with MS, aged 18-65 years, in paid employment will be recruited from MS charities.

Participants with MS will be able to include their employers in the intervention to receive information about MS and employment. MSVR involves an initial interview and up to 10 hours of employment support for people with MS and up to four hours of support for employers, over six months. Employees from MS charities will be recruited and trained to deliver the MSVR intervention.

This internship will provide an opportunity to be involved in activities related to the feasibility trial such as screening and recruitment of participants, support with training MS charity staff during the trial, data collection (e.g., administering questionnaires, data analysis, fidelity assessment), and meetings with patient and public involvement partners.

Fentanyl is an opioid analgesic that is approximately 100 to 150 times more potent than oral morphine. It is prescribed for stable persistent (long-term) cancer and non-cancer pains There have been increasing concerns regarding harms associated the prescribing of opioid medicines, including risks of falls and fractures, endocrine and immune effects, dependence and addiction, and overdose. The supply of fentanyl is controlled by the Misuse of Drugs Regulations with strict prescribing requirements and supply records.

The Community Pharmacy Patient Safety Group (CPPSG) have identified potential over-supply issues of fentanyl products through reports from pharmacists on the ground and also wider issues, such as accidental overdoses when multiple patches are used inappropriately, reported through “Prevention of Future Deaths” (Regulation 28) notices .As an initial step, the CPPSG produced a helpful video resource to support community pharmacists (https://pharmacysafety.org/focus-on-fentanyl-video-resource/).

Through a collaboration with CPPSG, project candidates will analyse data of fentanyl medicines supplied from over 100 pharmacies over a minimum of 12 months to describe the usage of fentanyl (compared to prescribing data where the prescription may or may not have been collected) and assess whether supplies match the prescribers' written instructions. It is hoped that this work will go on to inform policy and guideline development to help prescribers and dispensers identify potentially inappropriate prescribing and supply of fentanyl containing medicines. 

We welcome an intern to work across our exciting programme of work focussed on exploring relationships between clinical communication and health behaviour change.

How healthcare professionals communicate can significantly impact patient outcomes. In this project we invite an intern to work with our team to analyse recordings of real consultations between healthcare professionals and patients, and link these to patient outcome data. Focussing on conversations about health behaviour change (eg diet, and physical activity) they will work with our team to explore which aspects of communication might support specific outcomes.

This will include contributing to our NIHR funded project ‘Understanding the role of Healthy Weight Coaches in the weight management system’: https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR205227 And THIS Institute Funded ‘Understanding and improving primary care prevention advice for people who experience multiple long-term conditions and socioeconomic deprivation”: https://www.thisinstitute.cam.ac.uk/about/people/dr-charlotte-albury/ 

Personal Development and Training

• We would like to support our intern to conduct high-quality research which they can submit to an academic conference, communicating the work they have done. We expect this will result in a poster or oral presentation. We have an excellent track record in supporting students to do this successfully.
• Should the student intern which to do so we will also support them to write a blog for academic or lay audiences communicating their research (for example: https://rolsi.net/2023/11/09/guest-blog-an-undergraduate-enjoys-a-ca-internship/).
• The student intern will be actively supported to develop skills to carry out systematic reviews and qualitative research in the context of health behaviours, through attendance at formal training and training within our team.

Successful students will be invited to select and participate in several ongoing systematic reviews on primary care workforce and learning (https://www.phc.ox.ac.uk/research/groups-and-centres/workforce-and-learning-research-group). We have a strong, established, and collaborative ‘Evidence Synthesis’ team working across SPCR sites, with whom the student will be encouraged to network and submit publications (conferences and papers). The majority of our reviews use a realist approach, and support will be available for students to learn about this method and how to engage with patient co-applicants and stakeholders. Upcoming projects include ‘a partnership for workforce sustainability in under-served areas’, ‘compound pressures (e.g. climate change, migration, and winter pressures) on the organisation and delivery of UK general practice, and ‘continuity in general practice’.

Depending on the start date of the student’s internship, they will participate in a variety of review stages. Examples include searches, double screening, data extraction and synthesis, and interpretation of policy documents and debate articles. Students will also be invited to attend regular meetings with patient and public co-applicants and key stakeholders, where they will develop their communication skills and help ensure that our research can inform clinical practice and policy. They will be encouraged to co-author submissions for publication.

For further information, please contact Professor Sophie Park or Dr Emily Owen-Boukra.

Emily.owenboukra@phc.ox.ac.uk

Flor.deakin@phc.ox.ac.uk

This project seeks to explore delivery of interpreting services in GP practices for pregnant women who speak no/limited English, as well as the interpreting support provided through this channel to further maternity services. Primary care is the first point of contact for pregnant women to receive maternal care, and effective communication within primary care settings is key to healthcare access, quality of care, and health outcomes. Language barriers contribute to poor maternal health outcomes and inequities. The intern will have an exciting opportunity to contribute to the development of the project, mainly on evidence synthesis and patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) processes. This project will be relevant to students from all disciplines.

Primary care research happens and thrives in a collaborative environment. Therefore, beyond the immediate project, the intern will have a great opportunity to be part of our team, comprising of a reader, 2 postdocs and 3 PhD students. We have diverse expertise in primary care, clinical academic research, global health, patient safety and anthropology. We work on diverse projects relating to communication and improvements in primary care using relevant methodologies including evidence synthesis, case studies and ethnography. Our team holds weekly Monday meetings where we share reflections and take turns in chairing; this will be a key learning and leadership opportunity for the intern. We will introduce the intern to other researchers beyond our team, including our departmental colleagues and collaborators. The intern will also attend valuable activities including departmental seminars, online webinars and campus-wide events.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly advancing and leading to promising healthcare innovation. Government agendas indicate that AI could transform primary care services. AI technologies have the potential to save time for both GPs and patients, and lead to improved patient outcomes. Whilst the use of AI in GPs is known about, the opinions of clinicians and patients on the use of these tools are not well-understood.  A recent study showed that 20% of General Practitioners (GPs) in the UK use Artificial Intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, at work (Blease, 2024), indicating that AI-tools are already becoming assimilated into clinical practice.

The intern will join a project aimed at understanding attitudes towards AI in UK General Practice. The successful intern will help gather online forum data and analyse posts using qualitative research methods. Online forums hold a wealth of potentially useful information on patient and clinician views. There may also be the opportunity to help disseminate results (e.g., at a national AI or clinical conference).

This will be a qualitative study, so knowledge (e.g., from university modules) of and interest in qualitative methods would be beneficial. The intern must be an undergraduate, and the position is open to any degree subject. Examples of previous forum analysis work in healthcare include on IVF and asthma, and this project provides a great opportunity to contribute towards the emerging research literature on AI in healthcare. 

Any further information:

If you have any questions please contact Duncan Reynolds (Duncan.reynolds@qmul.ac.uk) and/or Rebecca Muir (r.l.muir@qmul.ac.uk) for an informal discussion.

Working with an interdisciplinary team on the COMPLEAT project (Chronic Obstructive pulmonary disease-MultiPle Long tErm conditions and Assistive Technology)

The aim of the project is to develop potential solutions with plans for further evaluation in the area of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-multiple long term conditions (https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng115/chapter/Recommendations#multidisciplinary-management) and assistive technology (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/assistive-technology-definition-and-safe-use/assistive-technology-definition-and-safe-use) with a view to improving patient outcomes and services).  

The internship project will support learning and delivery of the following proposed research activities (depending on study progress and when the intern is able to join the project):

(1) generation of a visual evidence gap map, an output from ongoing work;

(2) taking the evidence gap map and the output of several interdisciplinary

discussions including with public contributors (part of team training) to a stakeholder workshop; (3) leading to a prioritised list of research areas to address in a future grant application;

(4) development of a digital systems map outline;

(5) research proposal draft outline; and (6) dissemination of findings.

Any further information:

Please contact us for further information as needed: r.sohanpal@qmul.ac.uk s.j.c.taylor@qmul.ac.uk

PROTECT-C (https://www.protect-c.co.uk) is an intervention trial designed to test a population genetic testing approach - offering panel genetic testing to the public to assess whether they carry a pathogenic variant that increases their risk of breast, ovary, bowel, and/or womb cancer.

As part of the trial, we plan to conduct a comprehensive literature review to evaluate socio-ethical issues associated with this population-based approach. This review will critically appraise a wide range of (inter)national guidelines, policy, legal frameworks and literature to generate normative claims and arguments regarding the provision of panel genetic testing to the general population. The normative data will serve as a solid foundation to inform the integration of panel genetic testing into various healthcare settings.

Interns will be involved in the literature review project as second coders. Their responsibilities will include title and abstract screening, full-text screening, and results extraction. Interns will receive training in conducting rigorous systematic reviews. They are expected to read the protocol and attend training sessions to ensure consistency in study interpretation at each stage of screening. Before working independently, they will pilot-screen studies and compare results with the primary coder to identify discrepancies. Regular meetings will be held to discuss disagreements and refine the process. Our goal is to achieve a reliability rate of at least 80% at each stage of screening.

The Supporter-HC study aims to explore how carers support people with learning disabilities to attend their annual health check, understand and implement their health plan, and manage their health afterwards.  Regular health checks are important because they can identify and monitor health problems, and promote health and wellbeing.  However, health checks vary between GP practices, and people with learning disabilities report mixed experiences.  Also, carers can feel unprepared and be unsure about their role.  The Supporter-HC study involves qualitative telephone interviews with a wide range of family carers, supporters and professionals who are supporting people in their homes and community settings. It is part of a larger project which also includes the voices of people with learning disabilities and primary healthcare professionals to improve health checks and health plans in primary care.

The internship will involve working with the research team to assist with collection and analysis of the interview data, and contributing to the study report.  Training and supervision will be provided for qualitative methods and using computer software for data analysis.  There will be an opportunity to present the findings to our patient and public involvement group. 

The REDUCE programme developed tools for patients and practitioners to support antidepressant discontinuation for people who have been taking them long-term and wish to stop. The majority of participants in those studies were from affluent backgrounds with higher levels of education. Research shows that in areas of multiple deprivation, people are more likely to be taking antidepressants and they may be less able to stop them if they wanted.

The planned internship will be embedded within a project that aims to understand the views and experiences of  taking and stopping antidepressants with people who live in areas of multiple deprivation. We plan to conduct qualitative interviews with people from these areas about their experiences with antidepressants so that we can learn what support they might need if they wanted to stop taking them. We will also work with the community to decide what support is useful. We will do this through ‘Listening Cafes’, where we will talk to people with lived experience and make shared decisions about the research and about the support we design (known as co-production).

The successful applicant will assist with recruiting GP practices and patients to interviews, and with setting up and facilitating Listening Cafes. This is hands on experience with qualitative research methods, co-production, and public involvement. They will learn about intervention development methods, theory, and techniques (e.g. behaviour change and the Person-Based Approach).

The intern will assist with several Primary Care Behavioural Science projects aiming to support carers and couples, including:

1. A systematic review of primary care interventions to support carers;
2. A scoping review of couples-focused interventions to support people living with chronic pain and their partners (https://www.southampton.ac.uk/research/projects/691-couples-experiences-of-co-managing-low-back-pain-qualitative-interviews-with); and
3. An evaluation of a digital intervention to support carers of people with Parkinson’s disease and cognitive impairment (https://hosting.northumbria.ac.uk/isupportpd)

Tasks may include searching electronic databases, screening papers for inclusion, data extraction, transcribing qualitative interviews, updating intervention (website) content, and cleaning and analysing website usage data.

One 10 people aged over 65 in the UK have AF and its prevalence is increasing. AF is associated with an increased risk of stroke, Heart Failure (HF), cognitive impairment, and death. Current treatment recommendations include stroke prevention, symptom management and cardiovascular and co-morbidity risk reduction. Although stroke prevention is at the core of AF management, many deaths are due to Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) and progressive HF in anticoagulated AF populations. There are currently no treatments to specifically target these important causes or morbidity and mortality in AF patients.  

Effective lifestyle interventions including taking regular exercise and weight loss may help reduce the risk of developing HF and SCD. There has been considerable interest in evaluating antidiabetic medications for cardiovascular disease. Clinical risk predictors such as the CHA2DS2-VASc score can be used to predict the risk of stroke and mortality in AF patients but the score includes non-modifiable variables. Biomarkers such as N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide, high-sensitivity troponin, echocardiographic markers including left atrial enlargement and other markers which are relatively inexpensive and are accessible in primary care could be used to identify higher risk patients and monitor response to treatment.

The aim of this internship would be to assist with a scoping review of modifiable markers for risk prediction and response to treatment in atrial fibrillation.

Tasks will include searching electronic databases, screening papers for inclusion, data extraction and writing up of findings.

Mental health problems have been increasing in the UK, especially among young people, leading to more people seeking help from primary care. However, the presentation of mental health symptoms can be complex, posing diagnostic challenges for health professionals. Timely identification and support can prevent problems from escalating.

Historically, research and training resources have been targeted towards primary care doctors. Now, primary care includes a range of clinicians such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and physician associates, all involved in diagnosing and supporting mental health concerns. There is a gap in training resources for these groups.

The Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) is a widely used tool in clinical research and practice to assess the severity of Parkinson’s disease. The MDS-UPDRS has four parts that evaluate different aspects of Parkinson’s disease: Part I assesses non-motor aspects of experiences of daily living e.g., cognitive function, mood and behaviour; Part II assesses motor aspects of experiences of daily living e.g. eating, dressing and hygiene; Part II evaluates motor symptoms e.g. tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia (slow movement) and motor instability; and Part IV addresses complications related to Parkinson’s treatment e.g. dyskinesia (involuntary movement) and motor fluctuations (changes in motor performance).  

Parkinson’s disease commonly requires ongoing therapy, which can sometimes lead to complications. Part IV of the MDS-UPDRS evaluates the impact of medication on the patient’s symptoms and overall well-being. It provides a structured framework to assess the effectiveness of treatment and to identify any adverse effects that may be related to therapy.

The MDS-Non-Motor Symptoms scale (MDS-NMS) is a scale specifically assessing the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and includes a Non-Motor Fluctuations subscale (MDS-NMF), assessing the fluctuations of non-motor symptoms in response to medication.

As part of the Personalised Care for Parkinson’s disease (PD-Care) study we have developed a toolkit to facilitate people with Parkinson’s to self-manage their condition and symptoms. The toolkit consists of information sections on what Parkinson’s is, symptoms, treatment and practical advice to optimise well-being. The toolkit also contains personalised sections, which includes a ‘Tracker’ where people can record and monitor changes in their medication, activity and symptoms. Additionally, we have collected MDS-UPDRS and MDS-NMS data at three time points: baseline, 6-months (post-intervention) and 12-months (maintenance). In this internship, the student will map MDS-UPDRS Part IV and MDS-NMF data to digital analytic data from the toolkit ‘Tacker’ to determine the usefulness of the tracker for people experiencing symptom fluctuations.

More information about the PD-Care study can be found here: https://trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13063-023-07700-7 and https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ion/research/research-departments/clinical-and-movement-neurosciences/personalised-care-people