Close
My PhD Title: The impact of socioeconomic deprivation on the standards of care and outcomes of patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery in England.
Supervisors: Co-primary supervisors: Dr Ramani Moonesinghe and Dr Peter Martin
Secondary supervisor: Prof Rosalind Raine
Lay summary: I am using data collected from hospitals all over England to investigate whether patients in different socioeconomic groups have different outcomes after undergoing an emergency laparotomy (surgery on the bowel within the abdomen). If socioeconomic deprivation is associated with adverse outcomes, I'm interested in finding out whether meeting certain recommended standards of care around the time of the operation are associated with any change in the effect, or whether the difference is due to other factors outside of the control of the medical staff during the hospital admission.
From a health service perspective, I am also looking into whether the proportion of most-deprived patients treated within different hospitals is associated with any differences in the way hospitals are structured and services are provided. This may have implications for how the finite resources within the NHS can best be allocated to ensure those with the greatest need are able to access the level of care they require.
My Background: I am a practicing clinician with a joint-CCT in anaesthesia and intensive care medicine. My clinical interests are in the field of perioperative medicine, which involves the care of high-risk surgical patients, before, during, and after an operation.
Since early 2016 I have been a research fellow with the National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA), working as part of a team that is investigating the healthcare structures and processes at play around the time of emergency abdominal surgery, with the ultimate aim of improving the outcomes for patients.
As a member of the NELA national project team I have been involved with much of the broader project work, but my personal research is investigating the influence that socioeconomic deprivation has on outcomes for patients and the structures and processes within hospitals.
Qualifications
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery
Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Education
MSc in Perioperative Medicine
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists
Fellow of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine
Appointment
Research Fellow - National Institute of Academic Anaesthesia, Health Service Research Centre
Post-CCT Fellow in Perioperative Medicine - Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth
Contact details e-mail: thomas.poulton.14@ucl.ac.uk
Twitter: @TomPoulton
