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Medicine

Professor Hazel Everitt MBChB, BSc, MSc, PhD, FRCGP

Professor of Primary Care Research

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As a GP and clinical academic, Professor Hazel Everitt leads research studies in primary care providing high quality evidence to help better manage common long term conditions that impact on people’s lives, such as irritable bowel syndrome and insomnia. Her research interests also include: supporting patients to self-manage conditions, developing internet based support tools, and improving the translation of research evidence into clinical practice.

She also is co-author of the Oxford Handbook of General Practice. A handbook that aims to provide a concise synthesis of the best evidence, guidelines and sources of further information, to help GPs manage the broad range of conditions seen in primary care.

Improving evidence for managing common conditions, translating research findings into primary care and supporting self-help has the potential to make a significant difference to patients lives

Qualifications

Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners (FRCGP) November 2016.

PhD: Management of Acute Infective Conjunctivitis in General Practice. University of Southampton November 2006.

MSc Epidemiology: Principles and Practice. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine November 2004.

Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) Pass with Distinction. July 1998.

MBChB Bristol University Medical School - with Distinction in Public Health Medicine. June 1993.

BSc(Hons) 1st Class Anatomical Science (Intercalation) Bristol University. June 1990.

Appointments held

Professor August 2019. Primary Medical Care Research. University of Southampton.

Associate Professor March 2015. Primary Medical Care. University of Southampton.

Clinical Lecturer in General Practice February 2007 to February 2015. Primary Medical Care. University of Southampton.

 

Research interests

The Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in General Practice

Irritable bowel syndrome is a common gastrointestinal disorder that causes abdominal pain, bloating and altered bowel habit and can significantly impact on quality of life. Current GP treatment relies on a positive diagnosis, reassurance, lifestyle advice and drug therapies, but many suffer ongoing symptoms. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and self-management can be helpful, but poor availability in the NHS restricts its use.

Dr Everitt was Principal Investigator for a RfPB project which has developed a CBT based patient self-management website for IBS (MIBS) and was Chief Investigator for a NIHR HTA funded multicentre trial assessing the clinical and cost effectiveness of therapist delivered cognitive behavioural therapy and web-based self-management in irritable bowel syndrome (ACTIB).

Dr Everitt is Co-Chief Investigator for ATLANTIS an NIHR HTA funded double blind placebo controlled multicentre trial of low-dose amitriptyline for Irritable Bowel Syndrome  in primary care.


The Management of Insomnia in General Practice

Patients frequently experience sleep problems and present to primary care but both GPs and patients perceive a lack of options for managing insomnia. Dr Everitt has published research into how GPs currently manage insomnia in their patients and has lead a group undertaking a Cochrane systematic review of Antidepressants for Insomnia. She is developing further work to look at GP educational resources for the management of insomnia the use of amitriptyline for insomnia.


Doctor Patient Communication

Communication is fundamental to effective health care. Dr Everitt is leading a NIHR School of Primary Care study, Empathica exploring ways to enhance empathy and positive expectations in consultaions in primary care.


Minor Illness - with a particular interest in Acute Infective Conjunctivitis

Minor Illness is a common reason for patients to attend primary care. Dr Everitt undertook a body of work on the management of acute infective conjunctivitis (AIC) in primary care as her PhD. This included a survey of how GPs manage AIC, qualitative work with patients on their perceptions of AIC and their ideas, concerns and expectations of treatment, and a large RCT of topical antibiotics and patient information leaflets for acute infective conjunctivitis. She has also been involved in a meta-analysis of individual patient data for antibiotics for AIC and in highlighting the current evidence for conjunctivitis as first author of a DTB article on Management of Conjunctivitis.

 

Please visit the Primary Care  website.

Department(s)

Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education

Affiliate Department(s)

Primary Care Research group

Research project(s)

ACTIB - Assessing Cognitive behavioural Therapy in Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Antidepressants for Insomnia: Cochrane systematic review

The Atlantis study: Amitriptyline at Low-dose and Titrated for Irritable Bowel Syndrome as Second-line Treatment: A Double-blind Placebo-controlled Trial

Amitriptyline at Low-dose and Titrated for Irritable Bowel Syndrome as Second-line Treatment: A Double-blind Placebo-controlled Trial

Assessing Cognitive behavioural Therapy in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (ACTIB)

Creating a taxonomy to harness the placebo effect in UK primary care

Empathica: Expectation Management for Patients in Primary Care: Developing and Feasibility Testing a New Digital Intervention for Practitioners

Postgraduate student supervision
Supervision of 2 PhD students, 1 MD student and 3 ACFs.
Supervision of Medical BMedSci projects.

 

Primary Care and Population Sciences and Faculty of Medicine responsibilities

Co-deputy lead for Primary Care and Population Sciences.

Primary Care Training and Education co-lead for PCPS.

Faculty of Medicine Web Strategy Committee - PCPS representative and website lead for the Primary Care theme.

PCPS Representative and Co-lead of the Training sub-committee on Faculty of Medicine Research Programmes and Postgraduate Research Committees.

 

National Responsibilities

Member of the Scientific Foundation Board, Royal College of General Practitioners.

Southampton Primary Care Academic training Lead for the NIHR School of Primary Care Research.

 

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Articles

Books

Book Chapters

  • Coleman, N., & Everitt, H. (2013). Interface between primary and secondary care. In A. Emmanuel, & E. M. M. Quigley (Eds.), Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Diagnosis and Clinical Management (pp. 93-118). Chichester, GB: Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Everitt, H. (2004). Viral conjunctivitis. In R. Wormald, K. Henshaw, & L. Smeeth (Eds.), Evidence-Based Ophthalmology (Evidence-Based Medicine). London, GB: BMJ Publishing Group.

Co-Lead for Final Year medical student Critical Appraisal teaching.

Delivers 3rd Year Medical student lecture on the impact of IBS.

Medical student OSCE examiner and Medical student selection interviewer for Southampton.

Offers BMedSci projects in Primary Care and 3rd Year Research Conference marker.

 

November 2019

Hazel Everitt has written a blog in relation to the ACTIB study for the NIHR.
Improving access to talking therapies for IBS patients.

September 2019

Benefits of cognitive behavioural therapy for IBS continues 2 years after treatment. You can also view the video abstract for this study.

11 April 2019

Press release for published paper in GUT for the ACTIB study
Cognitive behavioural therapy can provide better long-term relief for IBS symptoms than current standard treatment.
Read the full story here.

21 August 2015
RCGP John Fry award, National Award for Primary Care academic Dr Hazel Everitt.

Dr Hazel Everitt has won the 'Best Poster Competition' at the NIHR School for Primary Care Research 2014 Annual Showcase. Poster title: 'Antidepressants for Insomnia - Cochrane Review'. The poster is available to view in the 'Useful downloads' section.

Dr Hazel Everitt has won the University of Southampton's Faculty of Medicine NIHR/SoCAT Research Prize 2014
For research paper:
Management of irritable bowel syndrome in primary care: the results of an exploratory randomised controlled trial of mebeverine, methylcellulose, placebo and a self-management website.
BMC Gastroenterology.2013, 13:68.DOI: 10.1186/1471-230X-13-68. URL: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-230X/13/68
Dr Everitt is presenting this at the Faculty of Medicine Research Conference on 19th June 2014.

Useful Downloads

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Professor Hazel Everitt
T: (023) 8059 1788
F: (023) 8070 1125
E: hae1@soton.ac.uk

Room Number: 9590 AHC/144/S2

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