About the role

Background to the role

We have an exciting opportunity for a Research Assistant (Grade 6) or Research Associate (Grade 7) to join the Health Behaviour and Implementation Science Research Group to work on the 64-month NIHR-funded IMAB-Qi Programme Grant for Applied Research. The funding is to help address the problem of one in two people not adhering to their prescribed medicine regime:

“Improving adherence may well result in better health outcomes than making available new technologies.” World Health Organisation 2003

Medication non-adherence leads to suboptimal treatment of health conditions and adverse outcomes including morbidity and mortality. The Identification of Medication Adherence Barriers Questionnaire (IMAB-Q) is a behavioural-science underpinned questionnaire (available here) developed by Professor Debi Bhattacharya which has been validated to accurately diagnose a person’s barriers to taking their medicines as prescribed (medication adherence)(1). The IMAB-Q facilitates primary care healthcare professionals such as GPs, pharmacists and nurses, to work with patients to identify the patient’s main barriers to taking their medicines as prescribed. Each barrier to medication adherence identified by the IMAB-Q is linked to 2-3 theory and evidence-based Behaviour Change Techniques from which a healthcare professional and their patient can select according to what is a best fit for them. The IMAB-Q combined with the Behaviour Change Techniques is the ‘IMAB-Q intervention’ or ‘IMAB-Qi’.

We have secured NIHR Programme Grant for Applied Research funding (2024-2029) to implement and evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the IMAB-Qi delivered routinely in existing primary care medication reviews. The research programme is led by Professor Debi Bhattacharya and Dr Sion Scott at the University of Leicester and hosted by NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board. Collaborating organisations are Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Universities of York, East Anglia, Nottingham and Oxford. You can find out more about the IMAB-Qi research programme and the team at www.IMAB-Qi.org.

Role Purpose

Supported by the chief investigators and working closely with the wider IMAB-Qi team, the post holder will use qualitative and novel user testing methodology to support (grade 6) or lead (grade 7) co-designing an implementation intervention to facilitate general practices to routinely deliver the IMAB-Qi within medication reviews. Experience of using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR)(2) or other implementation science frameworks is desirable but not essential as training will be provided.

You’ll support (Grade 6) or facilitate (Grade 7):

User testing the IMAB-Qi with healthcare professionals and professional patient actors in general practices
Focus groups withhealthcare professionals involved in the user testing to diagnose the barriers and enablers to routinely delivering the IMAB-Qi within medication reviews
Co-design workshops with healthcare professionals and other primary care key stakeholders to design an IMAB-Qi implementation intervention

This is a 12-month fixed term position; however further IMAB-Qi research posts will be available from 2026 which will focus on the feasibility study and definitive trial running to December 2029. We anticipate that the successful candidate for the current role may wish to apply for one or more of these future posts to remain on the study for longer than the initial 12 months advertised.

The role is available as either a Grade 6 or Grade 7; please indicate in your application for which grade you are applying.

References

Bhattacharya D, Brown TJ, Clark AB, Dima AL, Easthall C, Taylor N, Li Z. Validation of the Identification of Medication Adherence Barriers Questionnaire (IMAB-Q); a Behavioural Science-Underpinned Tool for Identifying Non-Adherence and Diagnosing an Individual’s Barriers to Adherence. Patient preference and adherence. 2023 Dec 31:2991-3000.
Breimaier HE, Heckemann B, Halfens RJ, Lohrmann C. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR): a useful theoretical framework for guiding and evaluating a guideline implementation process in a hospital-based nursing practice. BMC nursing. 2015 Dec;14:1-9.

About you

You will be highly motivated and self-driven with qualitative research experience and for Grade 7, a PhD in a relevant subject area e.g. implementation science. You will have excellent interpersonal skills and work successfully alongside a multi-institutional team to deliver the research aims. Experience of applying behavioural and/or implementation science to design and/or evaluate interventions, working in a healthcare setting or an applied health research setting, and a track record of publishing research, is also desirable.

Additional information

Informal enquiries are welcome and should be made to Dr Sion Scott on [email protected].

Applications for jobshare will be considered.

Aspart of the University’s ongoing commitment to professional development, thisrole will also be considered on a seconded basis for existing staff members.Please ensure this is discussed with your line manager prior to applying. Moreinformation regarding secondments can be found here

The University of Leicester has been changing the world, and changing people’s lives, for 100 years. When you join us, you’ll become part of a community of Citizens of Change, which includes not only our staff and our current students but also thousands of Leicester graduates around the world.

As a diverse and forward-thinking employer, we embed the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion into everything we do. That includes not just our core missions of teaching and research, but also our support for staff, students and our local community through our values of Inspiring, Impactful and Inclusive through our values of Inspiring, Impactful and Inclusive.

We’re committed to the wellbeing of all our staff and to the sustainability of our environment, on our campus and beyond. We offer a competitive salary package, excellent pension scheme and a generous annual leave allowance, along with opportunities to develop your career in a supportive and collaborative environment.