Audit and Research

This is a plea for support from WICS members. Co-ordination of national audit and research projects has been one of the aims of the society from its inception. The post of Audit and Research Secretary on council had been vacant in recent years but in January this year I was co-opted onto the WICS council to fulfil this role. Subject to electoral confirmation at the AGM, it is my ambition to re-develop this side to the society’s activities.

It is planned to establish a network of contacts in all the Intensive Care Units in Wales to collect audit and research data. If we can collect data from all the units in Wales we will be in the almost unique position of being able to present “National” data on clinical issues of relevance. We can only do this if all our ICUs participate in the projects. We are looking for at least one volunteer (ideally, but not necessarily a consultant) from each unit to be responsible for data collection from their own ICU. It is envisaged that these volunteers will together constitute the “Welsh Intensive Care Society Audit and Research Group” (WICS ARG) and that they will be the authors of any papers published. We will also be looking for support from the rest of the WICS membership to help make the data collection as complete as possible.

It is envisaged that the WICS ARG will mostly be able to undertake nationwide surveys, audits and outcomes research. WICS council has decided that the first project to be discussed will be a relatively straightforward audit looking at the resource implications of alcohol related admissions to Welsh ICUs over a 12- month period. We hope to launch this project at the Summer Scientific meeting this June. Further more ambitious projects may be started later once the group is up and running.

If you would like to volunteer as your ICU’s data collector, discuss the plans for the forthcoming Alcohol Audit, present possible ideas for future projects or if you just want further information please e-mail me: hywel.roberts@wales.nhs.uk Thank you for your support.

Hopefully together we can help put Wales back on the ICU research map!