Case Studies

CT scanners use X-ray radiation and software to create 3D images of patients to help diagnose a variety of conditions. Every year, medical physics teams across the NHS perform legally required audits to ensure their scanners are working correctly. Part of this process involves optimising the radiation level of their scanners: ensuring the minimum amount of radiation is used to deliver an image of sufficient quality.

HERON-UK – the HEalth data Research OMOP Network – enables secure, transparent, and reproducible health data research by supporting research using routinely collected healthcare data from over 50 million patients across seven data partners in the UK.

Here we talk with Dr Konstantin Georgiev, shortly after completing his PhD research in January 2026. His thesis can be found in the Edinburgh Research Archive.

Here we talk with Dr Rose Penfold, shortly after completing her PhD research in May 2026. Her thesis can be found in the Edinburgh Research Archive.

For a novel study looking at the connections between energy poverty and preschool respiratory infections, we have played a key role in fostering additional partnerships to expand the project and achieve greater real-world impact.

To enhance the care of frail patients, we have worked in close collaboration with the NHS to develop an innovative data dashboard, now accessible to all GP practices across the Lothian region.

In 2024, we played a key role in bringing complementary services together to greatly improve the support available for those at risk of experiencing homelessness.

The primary care data from GPs that are hosted by the DataLoch service provide huge opportunities for population-level observation research on large cohorts, as well as for NHS service management and service improvement. However, the data can be tricky to use and there are many complexities and subtleties that are useful to be aware of.