Children’s unscheduled primary and emergency care in Ireland: decision making, trends, outcomes and parental perspectives (CUPID)

Project’s duration: 01-Sep-18 to 31-Aug-21

The project is funded by Health Research Board (HRB). Programme for funding: National Children’s Hospital Foundation Scheme 2017

Project’s Description: 

The question that this programme of research aims to answer is: What are the patterns, outcomes, decision making processes and parental preferences associated with paediatric healthcare utilisation in Ireland and what is the impact of the introduction of free GP care for the under 6 years old cohort? We propose to address these questions by pairing methodological rigour with a patient-centred approach that accounts for the perspectives of parents and frontline staff. We aim to explore spatial and temporal patterns of utilisation, patient outcomes and the decision making processes of both parents and general practitioners.

The aim of this project is to develop a thorough understanding of the current model of paediatric unscheduled healthcare provision in Ireland and the impact of recent policy interventions. The insights gained by this research can inform evidence-based health policy for the organisation of paediatric care and resource allocation. It will assess the effectiveness of the current model of healthcare delivery and identify opportunities for improvement or intervention by building on international experiences while appreciating the specific contextual differences in the Irish setting.

Collaborators

CUPID is a collaborative research project with partners including the UCD School of Medicine, Maynooth University, Cork University Hospital, Temple Street Children’s University Hospital, Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin and the Irish College of General Practitioners.

Email us on CUPID@ucd.ie  I  cupiducd@healthmail.ie Connect with us on Twitter #@CUPIDireland