Abstract
Background:
The R&D levy on health authorities in England is intended to support patient-based research funded by the MRC and address the research needs of health services.
Aims/Method:
An input–outcome paradigm is suggested to inform both decision making and the preparation of information. It encourages people to be clear about what they are trying to achieve and it informs research design to increase comparability and relevance. The patient should be considered in each element of the paradigm. The methodology of CEA and CUA is embodied in the NHS R&D Programme. Health economics is now regarded as a useful supplement and it lays bare important value judgements. There are four roles for clinicians in the R&D Programme: (1) clients, (2) creation of a research milieu, (3) providers of research material, (4) researchers. The fourth does not apply to all clinicians.
Policy implications:
Substantial involvement in research capacity and training is required. It is government policy to integrate forensic psychiatry research into the general national programme, maybe within a couple of years. Forensic psychiatry research should prioritize methodological needs and service needs. The centrality for defining outcomes and measuring them cannot be underestimated. In forensic psychiatry outcome is not just patient-centred. Risk and uncertainty require robust methods. Consultation both within and without the NHS about service needs should also be a priority. Technologies should not be exclusively (or even mainly) clinical. Copyright © 1999 Whurr Publishers Ltd.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 355-371 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 1999 |