Case studies

Screening for bowel cancer

This research investigated the effectiveness of a test for detecting and preventing bowel cancer, which is now used across the four nations.

Prescribing statins to men without a history of heart attacks

Ensuring and demonstrating the effectiveness of life-saving treatments

Improving treatments for COPD

Real-time monitoring of a new treatment for COPD in Salford

Equal access to bowel cancer treatments in Yorkshire

Using patient data to identify and improve areas of poor practice

Comparing the uptake of emergency operations for heart attack across England

Using registry data to examine rates of emergency coronary intervention across England

Investigating trends in diabetes across ethnic groups

Understanding why diabetes rates vary between ethnic groups

Reaching the children who need care most: evaluating an early-support population health approach

Using population health management system to improve access to care

Reducing nationwide variation in stroke prevention and treatment

Comparing local performance on managing atrial fibrillation

Using data to plan services for people living with and beyond cancer

Using patient data to look at what happens to someone after receiving a cancer diagnosis

Giving cancer patients the right level of treatment

Translating clinical research into real-world outcomes

Extending the UK flu vaccination programme to children

Using surveillance data to demonstrate the benefits of vaccinating children against flu

Improving management of chronic kidney disease

Monitoring blood test results alerts GPs if a person’s health is deteriorating

Testing the effectiveness of a vaccine for mpox

Linking laboratory and survey data to assess vaccine effectiveness

Improving treatment of teenage anxiety and depression

Analysing trends in prescriptions to teenagers experiencing mental health problems

Monitoring joint replacement surgery

Analysing registry data to improve performance and safety

Supporting research into rare diseases

Using registry data to search for treatments for rare diseases

Demonstrating the safety of an anti-obesity medication

Using data to ensure the safety of medications

Assessing a new treatment for severe asthma

Evaluating the safety of a new treatment through real world clinical data

Disproving the link between the MMR vaccine and autism

Using data to conclusively disprove ideas that pose risks to public health

Treating rare genetic diseases

Linking genetic and phenotypic data to help clinicians care for, and researchers to investigate, rarer genetic conditions.

Comparing cancer survival rates worldwide

Using cancer registries to examine cancer survival variation between countries

The impact of air pollution on health

Using pan-European data to understand how air pollution affects health

How is health data used in the current measles outbreak?

Preparedness to prevent future pandemics

Data surveillance to identify disease cases that pose a significant risk to public health

Finding treatments for Covid-19

Rapid trialing of existing and new drug therapies during the Covid-19 pandemic

Identifying Covid-19 as a public health risk through data analysis

Monitoring data to identify emerging risks, such as epidemics

Using data to identify and approach people for research: a public dialogue in Wales

Public views about AI in healthcare

Involving the public in understanding the barriers and facilitators to implementing AI in healthcare

A mini citizens’ jury to debate data

Delivering a verdict on public perceptions of the use of data in healthcare

OneLondon Citizens’ Summit

Giving Londoners the opportunity to share their thoughts on the complex issues around health data

Predicting A&E admissions to improve preparedness

Developing an AI tool to help NHS Trusts better predict demand for A&E so that it can be better prepared

Developing chatbots to address ethnic disparities in STIs

Designing and piloting an AI chatbot for supporting people with STIs/HIV from ethnic minority backgrounds

Identifying long stay patients in hospital using AI

Preventing people staying too long in hospital unnecessarily by modelling and calculating risk scores