Postdoctoral Researcher: Health Services Research

14 Month Fixed Term Contract Closing date 3^rd October 2024

Dublin City University (www.dcu.ie) is a leading innovative European University. It is proud to be one of the world’s leading Young Universities and is among the world’s top 2% globally. DCU is known as Ireland’s University of Impact, with a mission to ‘transform lives and societies’ and focuses on addressing global challenges in collaboration with key national and international partners and stakeholders.

COST2CARE is a Health Research Board (HRB) funded patient safety project based in the School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health at DCU (2022-2026). The aim of the project is to demonstrate the potential for safer care and reduced costs associated with older patients in acute hospitals through accurate reporting of nursing-sensitive adverse events using routinely collected hospital discharge data (HIPE). Older people make up the largest group of patients in acute hospitals and are at high risk of experiencing complications (including nursing-sensitive adverse events), often associated with extended lengths of stay or reduced function on discharge.

This project offers a scalable and sustainable solution to the challenge of measuring, benchmarking and addressing commonly occurring hospital-acquired nursing-sensitive adverse events (UTI, Pneumonia, Pressure Ulcers and Delirium). These are high-cost events, both financially, to health services, and in human costs to the patient and caregiver.

A postdoctoral researcher is required to join the COST2CARE team in year 3 (Autumn 2024). Data collection has been completed and a large quantitative dataset is available for analysis. COST2CARE will estimate the national rates of the four adverse events based on the findings of an extensive retrospective chart review conducted in one large hospital, along with the national HIPE dataset. Using ICD10 data and rates of occurrence verified through chart review the research team will calculate the cost to the health service by examining length of stay, and other variables associated with cost of illness calculations.

The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to project management, data analysis and writing for publication in years 3 and 4 of this project. This post provides an opportunity to expand research skills and confidence by joining a project team which includes an international and multidisciplinary collaboration of academic, clinical and other key patient and public stakeholders.

Salary Scale:  IUA Postdoctoral Researcher Salary Scale - €44,347- €52,193

Informal Enquiries in relation to this role should be directed to Dr Marcia Kirwan, Associate Professor, School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health, Dublin City University. Email: marcia.kirwan@dcu.ie    

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