Understanding the impact of multimorbidity and polypharmacy on outcomes for patients admitted to critical care
Supervisors:
Dr Annemarie Docherty, Usher Institute (School of Population Health Sciences), University of Edinburgh
Dr Javier Escudero Rodriguez, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh
Dr Rosalyn Pearson, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh
Dr Craig Nicolson, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh
Summary:
With an ageing population and rising rates of long-term conditions, a growing proportion of patients admitted to critical care in the UK now live with multimorbidity. These patients often take multiple medications, polypharmacy, which may independently worsen outcomes from critical illness by affecting drug metabolism, increasing adverse drug interactions, and reducing tolerance to physiological stress.
This PhD project will explore how multimorbidity and polypharmacy interact with haemodynamic instability during critical care (such as low blood pressure or oxygen delivery) to influence serious complications including delirium, acute kidney injury (AKI), cardiovascular events, and mortality. It will also examine how variation in medication management practices, such as stopping or continuing drugs on admission to and during critical care affects outcomes.
Using large, linked NHS datasets including prescribing records, physiological monitoring data, and hospital outcomes, this research will identify high-risk patient groups, uncover potentially modifiable risk factors, and support the development of evidence-based critical care strategies.
This is a unique opportunity to improve care for a growing, high-risk critical care population and to influence national guidance on the management of critically ill patients with complex health needs.
We will offer the student training in epidemiology, causal inference, and signal processing techniques within a multidisciplinary team.