Dominic Roche

PhD, MSc, PGCE, BN (Hons), RN

Publication

• Date
• Type

Research

Qualitative Research 

My PhD was funded by Health and Care Research Wales and explored patient involvement in enhanced recovery after care (ERAS). Papers published based on the findings of my study have identified that patients welcome opportunities for active involvement in their care but that there are barriers to this involvement. My co-author and I identify that nurses need to feel empowered to adopt strategies that can allow for different informational needs and communication challenges, rather than a one-size-fits-all paternalistic approach. We propose a model to support a patient-centred and individualised approach to patient involvement. A further paper helps to inform thinking about the use of care pathways such as ERAS in relation to service delivery by focusing on both nurse‐patient relationships and patient‐to‐patient interactions. This approach embraces notions of what active patient involvement actually means, rather than more passive types of involvement focusing mostly on healthcare professionals facilitating involvement with a narrow, pre‐ determined scope.

Further research

Further research will involve taking the approach proposed based on my PhD findings into clinics and other areas of care to test this model in action to see if it a) prompts nurses and patients to reflect and b) whether pausing the fairly relentless provision of information to take time to reflect makes things challenging in terms of time management, or if any adverse unintended consequences are introduced which are difficult to predict outside of a ‘real world’ environment.

Further research can also explore what it is about individual nurses that inhibit them from providing individualized care, and conversely, what is it about those nurses who feel empowered to tailor their consultations with patients. Are there particular individual or organizational factors that can influence this and how can these be overcome (or harnessed).

My PhD findings have also identified that further research is needed in regard to patient‐patient relationships and interactions in the context of existing theories and how this might be harnessed to support improved patient outcomes and experiences.

Evidence Synthesis

I was part of a small team who undertook a systematic review of patients’ experiences of cancer immunotherapy which is currently under review in a leading international journal. Early findings have already been shared at international and national conferences. I am also currently part of a team currently undertaking a systematic review focusing on access, acceptance, and adherence to cancer prehabilitation (as part of the NIHR funded IPREHAB project).

I contribute to international healthcare policy and practice through my work as both a Field Collaborator and Scientific Writer for the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI), a global organisation promoting and supporting evidence-based decisions that improve health and health service delivery. I am also an active member of the steering group for the Wales Centre for Evidence Based Care, a JBI Centre of Excellence involved in evidence synthesis and developing clinical guidelines.

Teaching

I have wide ranging expertise in and experience of the delivery, innovation, organisation and support of teaching, learning and assessment across complex, undergraduate and postgraduate, health professional programmes, working with home and international health professional students. My core areas of expertise are patient involvement, patient safety and service improvement. To ensure my teaching is research-led and informed, I am actively involved in associated research and evidence synthesis. My work as teacher, module leader and supervisor demonstrates my substantial contribution across all academic levels and my ability to work seamlessly across disciplinary boundaries.

I have considerable experience of module leadership at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and am currently module leader for a MSc Systematic Review Dissertation module and a MSc research methods core module. 

I supervise home and international PhD students, BN students and MSc dissertation students from various healthcare professions and am also an experienced personal tutor. Recently successful completed MSc dissertation projects include:

• Occupational therapists experiences and opinions using video conferencing in outpatient hand therapy during COVID-19 pandemic.
• A process evaluation of the therapy intervention in the trauma unit.
• Implementation of a training programme to enable dietitians working in acute care to consistently identify and diagnose malnutrition.
• Effectiveness of in-situ mock code in improving psychomotor skills in healthcare providers. A Systematic Review.
• A systematic review to determine the efficacy of tamsulosin as a medical therapy in the treatment of acute retention of urine secondary to benign prostatic enlargement.

Biography

Following a career in local government, I retrained as an adult nurse gaining my degree from Swansea University in 2008. I was fortunate to be awarded a scholarship from Swansea University to support my MSc in Public Health and Partnership working, studying whilst working as a staff nurse. Following completion of my MSc, I spent time working with Public Health Wales as part of a national quality improvement programme. This experience led me to the development of my PhD research study exploring patient involvement in a patient safety initiative, which was funded by Health and Care Research Wales. I was appointed as a lecturer in adult nursing in Cardiff University in 2014 and I am currently a senior lecturer in adult nursing in the school of healthcare sciences.

Professional memberships

• Steering Committee Member: Wales Centre for Evidence Based Care 2022
• All Wales Supporting Community Engagement Network 2017 - 2018 
• Teacher: Nursing and Midwifery Council 2017 
• Registered Nurse (Adult): Nursing and Midwifery Council 2008  

Academic positions

• Senior Lecturer: Adult Nursing 2023 
• Lecturer: Adult Nursing: 2014 - 2023 
• Joanna Briggs Institute: Field Collaborator 2021 - 2023  
• Joanna Briggs Institute: Scientific Writer 2021 - 2023 
• External Examiner: Dundee University (Nursing Undergraduate Programme) 2018 - 2022 
• External Examiner: Dundee University (Mitigating Circumstances Panel) 2021 - 2022 
• External Examiner: Dundee University (Nursing Return to Practice Programme) 2019
• HCARE Environmental Compliance Officer 2020 - 2022 
• HCARE Patient and Public Involvement Project Officer 2017 – 2018 
• BN Programme Lead for Disability and Wellbeing Support 2016 – 2018 

Committees and reviewing

• Research Excellence Framework Outputs HCARE Review Panel 2023 - 2027
• Elected Academic Member of Cardiff University Senate 2022 - 2025
• HCARE Safety, Health, Environment and Wellbeing Committee Member 2020 - 2022 
• HCARE Research Ethics Committee Member 2017 - 2021 
• HCARE Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Committee Member 2017 - 2021 
• HCARE PPI Sub-Committee Co-Chair 2017 – 2018 
   

Supervisions

Current PhD Student Projects: 

• Exploring Interagency Patient Safety Policies and Strategies in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: A Qualitative Case Study of Libya. 
• Management Response to Staff Speaking up in the Healthcare Workplace: A Qualitative Study.  
• Finding Innovative Strategic Solutions to Workforce Challenges Within Radiography Departments Across Wales: An Ethnographic Case Study.
• Exploring the Healthcare Sector Experience of Reporting and Learning Systems in Libya: A Middle-range Theory Qualitative Study. 

Current supervision

Hamza Jaber

Research student

Melika Ghorbankhani

Graduate Tutor

Charlotte Hodges

Lecturer

Past projects

• Csontos, J. 2021. Realist informed mixed-methods evaluation of cancer rehabilitation services in South Wales. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.