A conference which brought together all those involved in medical research in the north-west, held earlier this month in Sligo, is to become an annual event.
Details of some 30 research projects were outlined at the conference, attended by more than 100 healthcare professionals. Topics ranged from agricultural injuries treated at Sligo General Hospital to a study on why Irish breast-feeding rates are the lowest in Europe.
A progress report was also given on the Donegal Area Rapid Treatment Study, a pilot project carried out in collaboration with the Irish Heart Foundation and the NUI. The study aims to show how stroke victims can be helped by receiving clot-dissolving drugs from their GPs rather than waiting until they get to a hospital.
Dr Peter Wright, a specialist in public health medicine with the North-Western Health Board, said that while a national standard of 90 minutes from the onset of a stroke was set for this treatment, it had been found that people living in remote areas of Donegal often had to wait 3 1/2 hours for drugs because of long distances from a hospital.
In Scotland, GPs administered the drugs, and the system was more effective. The sooner patients got the drugs, the better their chance of survival and the better their quality of life afterwards, Dr Wright said. "We know that it works. What we are trying to show is how it can be done within the health services in this country."
Seven GPs in rural parts of Donegal are taking part in the study, which is still at the preliminary stage.
Dr Wright said another study of the treatment of dyspepsia - upper abdominal pain caused by ulcers or inflammation - found that once agreed guidelines for its treatment were put in place, there were "very significant changes" in drug prescriptions given by doctors.
The aim of all the research, he said, was to improve patient care. While it was important to keep up to date on research elsewhere, it was also important that studies were conducted on the ground in regions like the north-west. "It is sometimes very difficult to change practices locally unless you can demonstrate the effects locally," Dr Wright said.
It is hoped that the research and education foundation at Sligo General Hospital can be developed further.
Dr John Williams, chairman of the research advisory committee at the foundation, said that until recently there had not been "an environment of research" in the region, but the conference had given people a chance to show the work they were doing.
"There were actually a lot more people involved in research than we thought, but there is no point doing this work unless it is published," he said.
A new strategy document from the Department of Health made it clear that research could no longer be regarded as a luxury, he said. It was no longer acceptable to leave research to the bigger centres, and overall standards would improve as the numbers involved in studies on the ground increased.
"People who have done research themselves are also in a better position to understand other studies," he said. A study in the US had found that 10 per cent of GPs should be involved in research at any given time.
The foundation, which is a charitable organisation, aims to provide a framework for research and for the development of policy. Dr Williams said it was also hoped that more voluntary bodies would avail of the facilities at the foundation's base in Sligo General Hospital.