New insights provided by Swansea University’s award-winning SAIL Databank have helped shape future operational strategy by Welsh ambulance services.
The research examined how health information is used and was sparked by a project undertaken as part of the 2023 Population Data Science Summer Internship Programme. It led to the publication of a research methods paper offering critical insights into how the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD) could be used in health data research.
The WIMD is a way to find out which areas in Wales have the most challenges or disadvantages. It helps the government and organisations understand where help is most needed by examining different factors affecting people’s lives including income, health, education and access to services.
Following the paper’s publication in BMC Public Health, the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust (WAST) now plans to apply its findings operationally - demonstrating just how research can directly influence real-world health service delivery.
The paper was produced by a collaboration of SAIL Databank researchers who created a single citable resource for researchers who use the WIMD along with suggestions about how its information is analysed.
Now WAST Senior Analyst Adam Nicholls and Clinical Development Lead Luke Watkins said the paper would have a direct impact on its risk stratification work.
Co-author Dr Hywel Turner Evans, Senior Data Scientist & User Support Lead at SAIL Databank, said: “This is the kind of impact we hope to have - if we’re lucky - at some point in our careers. We should all be really proud of what was achieved in this project.
“To see something developed in a summer internship being adopted by operational teams in the NHS within a year is incredible. It shows what rigorous methods, and the right partnerships can achieve.
“The ability for interns to contribute meaningfully to high-quality research is what makes this programme truly impactful.”
His co-author was intern Shamsudeen Mohammed who has since progressed to become a Research Fellow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Director of the Population Data Science Internship Programme Professor Ashley Akbari added: “We’re proud to offer our interns real-world experiences that connect data science with public and service impact. This paper is a great demonstration of our interns working on active research projects, technical developments and impactful programmes that contribute directly to the impactful research and delivery.”
Find out more about the Population Data Science Summer Internship Scheme
Read the full research paper here.