Research
Through our partnerships with UCD and other academic institutions, we have a strong track record of producing high quality research that delivers real and meaningful results to our patients and their healthcare.
Supporting staff with research
Research conversations workshops
In 2016 the hospital launched a series of workshops to support staff that are engaged in or interested in developing a research project. These informal sessions are open to all staff - from the complete novice to the post-doctorate researcher. Each workshop has a specific theme, aiming to address a particular area of need that has been identified by staff. The workshops also aim to provide and opportunity for meeting others that are involved in research and developing peer support networks. The response to date has been fantastic and we plan to expand on this initiative further in 2017, including, for example, cross collaboration with St Vincent's Hospital and others in the Ireland East Hospital Group.
Accessing quality information
Through our library and information service, our staff and students have access to a vast range of healthcare literature - books, journals, electronic databases and more. The library service also supports staff and students with research and with patient care by providing:
- Classes in searching databases, how to perform literature reviews, citation management and more
- Support with formal research studies for publication
- Support with searches the literature to inform the delivery of exceptional evidence based patient care, policy development and management decision making
Research ethics committee
The purpose of our research ethics committee is to protect patients and staff involved in research studies and to ensure quality and value to the wider community of all research conducted at the hospital.
All clinical research conducted in the Mater Hospital should be submitted for review by the committee to ensure that it is in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki, Irish law and European Union (E.U.) law.
In 2015, 97 studies were approved to proceed by the research ethics committee. Download the list of approved studies.
Clinical Trials Research Unit (CTRU)
The Clinical Trials Research Unit (CTRU) was established in 2000 and to date has been involved in over 150 clinical trials in cancer and blood diseases. For information on the CTRU, current open trials and participating in a clinical trial visit the CTRU page.
The UCD Clinical Research Centre
The UCD Clinical Research Centre at the Mater Hospital was officially opened in April 2006. It forms part of a network across UCD, St Vincent's Hospital and the Mater Hospital which aims to discover ways to improve medical care and to establish new treatments for patients who are living daily with chronic illness.
Patients with different chronic diseases including end-stage kidney disease, pulmonary fibrosis and cancer, donate samples to the clinic on a regular basis, and these are assessed in the context of their own treatment and for the development of more accurate therapies for these diseases in general. Read more about the UCD Clinical Research Centre.