Excellence in medical research in the State was formally acknowledged for the first time last night at the inaugural Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland (RAMI) Awards ceremony.
Thirty-six finalists competed for £27,000 of educational bursaries awarded to 12 category winners. The overall award was presented to Dr Elizabeth KennyWalsh, of Cork University Hospital, for work on hepatitis C infection. Other category winners included a study of how to improve waiting times for joint replacement surgery and an analysis of depression in the elderly.
Dr Kenny-Walsh's paper described how a national screening programme was set up in the aftermath of the discovery that anti-D blood products used in the State in 1977 and 1978 had been contaminated with hepatitis C virus. The programme showed 93 per cent of the infected women had slight or moderate inflammation of the liver. Two per cent of those studied had evidence of cirrhosis, indicating severe liver damage.
The study also helps the understanding of how infection with hepatitis C affects human health. Some 81 per cent of the women reported symptoms 17 years after first being infected. These included fatigue, joint and muscle pain, and anxiety or depression.
Dr Ross Kingston, winner of the best paper published in the Irish Journal of Medical Science, looked at ways of making waiting lists fairer and easier to understand. In a study of 340 patients waiting for hip and knee joint replacements at Limerick's Regional Orthopaedic Hospital, he demonstrated the effectiveness of a needs-based waiting-list rather than one based on the "first come, first served" system. Not only were patients with more severe arthritis treated first, but Dr Kingston's research also resulted in a reduction of waitinglists for hip and knee replacements by 20 per cent and 11 per cent respectively. "Already the waiting lists in the Mid Western Health Board are more efficient, transparent and fairer in that patients most disabled by arthritis are being prioritised," Dr Kingston said.
Dr Aisling Denihan's paper in the psychiatry category showed that people who suffered from depression late in life were likely to become chronically depressed. However, she found treatment with anti-depressant medication significantly improved their prognosis.
At the ceremony, Prof Bernadette Herity, president of the RAMI, said: "This event signifies an important benchmark in the field of research in the Republic and we are delighted to be in a position to recognise and reward the outstanding work being carried out by doctors throughout the country."