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Prof Adrian Edwards

Postgraduate Research Representative, Institute of Primary Care & Public Health

Research overview

Adrian Edwards' main research interest is on risk communication, and its overlap with shared decision making and decision aids. The research has focused firstly on communication skills training for practitioners and evaluating this in practice as the practitioners consult with their own patients. Early research in this area was part of the UK 'Health in Partnership' policy research programme, which also provided an exemplar for consumer involvement in research stages from the outset to completion.

More lately a specific focus is also on development and evaluation of decision aids, principally supported by Cancer Research UK. The decision aids range from static paper-based tools to aid discussion between users and practitioners in consultations to interactive web-based aids that people would use to complement a consultation with a practitioner. Examples of these include a decision aid for men considering the prostate specific antigen test (PSA) for prostate cancer (www.prosdex.com); another for women with early breast cancer considering whether to have a mastectomy or lumpectomy procedure (www.bresdex.com); and a quit smoking decision aid (Quitex).

Further interest areas include quality improvement in primary care, including work on the International Family Practice Maturity Matrix and Danish Praksis matrix palliative medicine, and the diagnosis and epidemiology of childhood urinary tract infections.

Methodological interests centre on systematic reviews. Professor Edwards has completed over 25 separate systematic reviews in the above topic areas, including 3 Cochrane Reviews and two Protocols. Methods include meta-analysis, meta-regression and meta-synthesis according to the subject matter and nature of the field. The two Cochrane reviews which he has led as first author address the effects of personalised risk communication in screening, and also psychological interventions for women with metastatic breast cancer. Professor Edwards is a co-editor in the Melbourne-based Consumers & Communication Review Group of the Cochrane Collaboration.

PhDs - completed
  • Lead supervisor for Dr Kathryn O'Brien 2006 – to date (examination March 2013); registered University of Wales; title: ‘Prevalence and natural history of childhood UTI in primary care’.
  • Co-supervisor for Dr Paulina Bravo 2008-11; Cardiff University; title: ‘Psychosocial needs of People Living with HIV’.
  • Co-supervisor for Pia Kirkegaard; University of Aarhus, Denmark; 2007-11; ‘Risk communication between GPs and patients with elevated cholesterol. A qualitative study of a complex intervention, focusing on decision making in the consultation.’
  • Lead supervisor for Michelle Edwards 2006 – 2010; Cardiff University; title: ‘The development and practice of health literacy for people with long term conditions’.
  • Co-supervisor for Dr Rhodri Evans 2005 – 2009; Nijmegen University, Netherlands; title: ‘Interactive health communication in prostate cancer screening and testing’.
  • Co-supervisor for Melody Rhydderch 2002 – 2006; Nijmegen University, Netherlands; title: ‘Practice assessment and quality improvement in European general practice’.
PhDs – in progress
  • Lead supervisor for Dr Andrew Carson-Stevens (registered October 2012): Patient Safety in Primary Care.
  • Lead supervisor for Ms Stephanie Sivell, Cardiff University – approaching submission of ‘Published Works’ PhD – expected Spring 2013.
  • Co-supervisor for Mrs Natalie Joseph-Williams, Cardiff University (2011 to date): Overcoming patient reported barriers to Shared Decision Making.
  • Co-supervisor for Charlotte Harmsen, University of South Denmark, Odense, Denmark. ‘Interventions for chronic diseases: effect of patient values and effectiveness information on patients’ choice of therapy, adherence to therapy and satisfaction with therapy’.

Selected key publications