Improving the methodology of studies and making the most of existing data

Many elements of primary care research are needed to deliver improvements to patient care. But perhaps one of the most important yet understated is methodology, which helps research to be conducted in the right way and lead to meaningful conclusions. The SPCR has played a key role in supporting this vital work through our various grants, encouraging career development and stimulating further investment into primary care research. 

“Methodologists collaborate a lot with people on big studies and also try to fund our own research,” says Beth Stuart, professor of medical statistics at Queen Mary University of London. “The School has been brilliant at providing a space for those methodological questions that have no obvious home anywhere else. But those questions are really important for making sure the big trials and cohort studies are right.”