The National Institute of Academic Anaesthesia (NIAA) will be familiar to many who work in Anaesthesia, Intensive Care Medicine and related specialities. The NIAA was established in 2008 with a vision to improve patient care by promoting the translation of research findings into clinical practice; to facilitate high profile, influential research; and to facilitate and support training and continuing professional education in academia. The NIAA is the umbrella organisation for the Health Services Research Centre (HSRC), National Audit Projects, and Perioperative Quality Improvement Programme (PQIP), amongst others.
The NIAA held its first combined meeting with the Anaesthesia Research Society, BJA Research Forum, and UK Perioperative Medicine Clinical Trials Network (POMCTN) in York in December 2019, featuring a wide variety of presentations and topics from active researchers. The meeting incorporated the Annual NIAA Research Award, awarded to an individual who has demonstrated excellence in scientific research relevant to anaesthesia, perioperative care or pain. Applicants were invited to present a body of work typically the equivalent of two or more research papers on a subject area or from a higher degree or thesis (MD/PhD).
Dr Brendan McGrath from Wythenshawe AICU presented his themed body of work (that comprised his PhD by publication) comprising several papers relating to understanding problems with tracheostomy care in the NHS, developing and testing strategies to address educational and infrastructure shortfalls, and then large scale evaluations of quality improvement interventions to change practice. Brendan’s work is typical of a clinical academic who has increasingly engaged in research alongside his NHS consultant role.