Care HD, period one (June 2018 – June 2020) has focussed on a number of areas. Changed personnel within University College Dublin at project start delayed for 6 months until project co-ordinator was appointed. Review of the grant agreement was necessary. Clarity of topic areas and work packages was sought including scope and timing. January 2019 saw the first consortium meeting take place and work package leaders progressively appointed. Further time was used selecting project beneficiaries; academic & non-academic organisations, as well as advertising secondments after building the beneficiary group, ensuring secondees would have full support of their employer; fifteen researchers have been identified. Secondments began in March 2019, with 13 completed, totalling 53 research months.
These have contributed literature reviews, ethical approval applications, research method protocols, data collection for Vignettes development & pilot interviews. These tasks form the basis for the project to undertake key data gathering activities during period 2. There are 34 deliverables for CareHD across 9 work packages with 14 complete & a further 7 to be submitted early in 2021.During 2020, CareHD has created a relationship with ENROLL-HD - a global study of HD, having participants suitable interview subjects for CareHD. We will also leverage the experience of ENROLL-HD which is well established globally. Developing this relationship will benefit to the HD community. Other RD studies will be following progress closely to see the benefit.The project dissemination so far includes 7 events in 2019, e.g European Huntington Association Conference, Bucharest where a consortium member (Scottish Huntington Association) gave a presentation about the Care HD project entitled ‘Introduction to CareHD.' Attendees included medical professionals, patients, caregivers, family members, patient organisations and the pharmaceutical sector. Publications have also been generated, including SAGE Research Methods Cases: Medicine and Health Etain Quigley, Anne-Sophie Michel & Gerardine Doyle; Vignette-Based Interviewing in the Health Care Space: A Robust Method of Vignette Development
https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781529735970(öffnet in neuem Fenster). Other publications are Internal reports of secondees, literature reviews. Several publications have also been made available via the CareHD website (link shown below). CareHD has also enhanced careers of researchers who have taken part to date. Three secondees have been able to complete their masters theses and others have secured new roles. 2020 year has seen the impact of Covid-19. halting progress of data gathering activities. Conferences where papers were to be presented have been postponed indefinitely. Delays to data gathering have impeded the ability of the project to generate further impact.
The work done by the researcher Anna Antoniadi was for WP1 and WP2 and wasas follows: UCD Ethics Submission for WP1, Literature Review for the Clinical Care Pathways and literature review on best practice protocol for HD, drafted Questionnaires for WP2.
Please note that all the other members of the consortium did not submit their Financial statements given that no secondments took place and to they are claiming zero costs.