C013 – Epidemiology, Public Health and Evaluation of Health Services

Objectives and lines of research

Objectives and lines of research

  • Banal diseases. This line of research aims to delve into the role of environmental (psychological, nutritional, behavioral) and genetic exposure factors, as well as the interaction of both, in the increased risk of very frequent diseases or symptoms, without extreme severity but with high impact. on the quality of life and the economy. These pathologies include the common cold, canker sores, headaches, allergic rhinitis, dysmenorrhea and premenstrual syndrome. The objective in the coming years is to study the determinant of the most frequent symptom: pain.
  • Cancer epidemiology. Our group has made significant progress in cancer epidemiology in recent years, especially in cancers related to environmental factors. Within this area, we intend to find out if exposure to residential radon influences cancers other than lung cancer and the biological mechanisms by which residential radon can cause lung cancer. We intend to deepen and expand the national multicenter study LCRINS (Lung Cancer Risk in Never Smokers) and strengthen the services of the Radon Laboratory of Galicia, the only residential radon laboratory recognized by the Nuclear Safety Council of Northwest Spain.
  • Evaluation of health technologies and services. Our group intends to serve as support in a consolidated activity such as the evaluation of health technologies, services and interventions through various mechanisms, one of them being systematic reviews and meta-analysis. Meta-analysis is the most widely used knowledge assessment system in epidemiology. The degree of evidence derived from the meta-analysis is the highest and exceeds that of the experimental design. The objective in the coming years of the line of research on meta-analysis is to propose a free-use software package that allows the non-specialized scientific community to carry out a meta-analysis intuitively and with minimal advice, from the first steps to the final proposal. This project is in a very advanced state of development. Likewise, methodological elements such as heterogeneity and publication bias will continue to be investigated, something that has been carried out in this line in recent years, and this methodological knowledge will continue to be used to apply it to specific meta-analyses, collaborating with the interested clinical services.
    The line of research in pharmacoepidemiology has made possible to identify important conditioning factors for the prescription, dispensing, and notification of adverse drug reactions. We currently have three large-scale community trials underway (throughout Galicia and North Portugal) to identify and modify the factors associated with poor prescription/dispensing/use of antibiotics in order to reduce their resistance, in addition to two other (also in Galicia and northern Portugal) to improve the reporting of adverse drug reactions.
    We are also developing studies to deepen the identification of the genetic factors of the most relevant adverse drug reactions from the point of view of Public Health, such as gastrointestinal bleeding.

 

Research team

 

Leader
Figueiras Guzmán, Adolfo

 

Research staff (established or associate)
Barros Dios, Juan Miguel
Pérez Ríos, Mónica
Royé, Dominic
Ruano Raviña, Alberto
Varela Lema, María Leonor

Postdoctoral researchers
Caamaño Isorna, Francisco
Reyes Santías, Francisco
Moure Rodríguez, Lucía
Salgado Barreira, Ángel
Smyth Chamosa, Ernesto
Takkouche, Bahi
Taracido Trunk, Margarita
Zapata Cachafeiro, Maruxa

 

 

 

Predoctoral Researchers
Montes Martínez, Agustín

Technical Support Staff
Bernardo Gisbert, Lucía Martín de

External Collaborators
Piñeiro Lamas, María

 

Lead researcher

Adolfo Figueiras Guzmán

Adolfo Figueiras Guzmán