Research interests
- Primary care respiratory medicine
- Airways disease
- Behavioural medicine
PhD supervision
Several past Southampton and external students including international collaborations
Current projects
Breathing RETraining for asthma- trial of Home Exercises for Teenagers (BREATHE4T). NIHR PFPB, 22295, Co-applicant with Prof G Roberts, Southampton. £256,357
Development and evaluation of an online FeNO guided primary care asthma management intervention. NIHR Programme Grant, 2019-2025. RP-PG-6182-0002. Chief Investigator. £2.6 million
Reducing Asthma Attacks in Children using Exhaled Nitric Oxide as a biomarker to inform treatment strategy - a randomised trial (RAACENO). NIHR ‘EME’, Tef: 15/18/14. £1,534,562. Co-applicant. 2016-2020
NIHR ‘Programme Grant for Applied Research’ grant RP-PG-0614-20011."Defining best Management for Adults with Chronic RhinOsinusitis: the MACRO Programme". £3,200,000. Co-applicant and workstream lead.
NIHR ‘Heath Technology Assessment’ grant 13/34/70 At-Risk Registers Integrated into primary care to Stop Asthma crises in the UK (ARRISA-UK): A pragmatic cluster randomised trial with nested economic and process evaluations examining the effects of integrating at-risk asthma registers into primary care with internet-based training and support. £1,460,000. 2014-18. Co-applicant and local PI
Significant recent projects
NIHR ‘Programme Grant for Applied Research’ grant ref RP-PG-1211-20001. Integrating Digital Interventions into Patient Self-Management Support (DIPSS). £1,999,331. Co-applicant and leader of ‘asthma’ workstream.
NIHR ‘Heath Technology Assessment’. Study of the effectiveness of breathing training exercises taught by a physiotherapist by either instructional videos / DVDs / internet download or by face to face sessions in the management of Asthma in adults (BREATHE study). Chief Investigator and grant holder. Collaboration between Aberdeen and Southampton Universities. 2011-2016. £1,260,120
NIHR National School of Primary Care Research Partner grant 194: Evaluating adjuvant Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) with COPD: a qualitative exploration. 2013-14. £38,352
NIHR National School of Primary Care Research Partner Grant: Independent determinants of health related quality of life in people with COPD. An exploratory cross sectional postal questionnaire study in stable COPD patients to inform subsequent non- pharmacological interventions 2014-15. £19,976
NIHR National School of Primary Care Research Partner grant. Understanding variations in asthma and COPD outcomes: use of routine clinical data. 2013-14. £34,303
NIHR HTA. Project 10/143/01- The clinical and cost-effectiveness of temporarily quadrupling the dose of inhaled steroid to prevent asthma exacerbations: a pragmatic, randomized, normal-care controlled clinical trial. 2013-1017: £1.87 million. Co-applicant, leader T Harrison, Nottingham
UK Department of Health Policy Research Programme (PR-R3-0212-21002), Risk factors and carriage rates of multiresistant gram negative bacteria including Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase and Carbapenemase Producing Coliforms (ESBLPCs), in different sections of the asymptomatic healthy general population and validation of a innovative molecular test to detect them using bowel cancer faecal occult test (FOBt) screening cards. Co-grant holder with Dr C McNulty, £200K
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Research group
Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education
Affiliate research group
Primary Care Research group
Research project(s)
Although effective medicinal treatment exists for asthma, many people continue to have distressing symptoms and impaired quality of life. People with asthma have expressed interest in non-drug asthma treatments, particularly in breathing exercises. Several recent studies have shown benefits from a short course of breathing exercises taught by a respiratory physiotherapist for people with asthma who remained symptomatic despite usual treatment. We believe that many NHS patients could potentially benefit from these exercises, but unfortunately, there is currently not enough access to suitable trained physiotherapists able to provide such a service. We propose to provide the same breathing training programme that we have previously shown to be effective when taught 'face-to-face' by a physiotherapist in the form of a DVD, or internet download. Patients will use this in their own home at times convenient to them, in addition to their standard treatment (e.g. with inhalers). We will find out whether this type of instruction is better than the 'usual care' that is currently provided, and whether it is as good as the 'face to face' physiotherapist instruction (which is more expensive and less convenient for patients).
The aim is to investigate the relationship between bronchoconstriction-induced cognitive dysfunction , physiological and psychological markers and perceptions of breathlessness in people with asthma
The DIPSS (Integrating Digital Interventions into Patient Self-Management Support) project has received funding of £2 million from the NIHR to examine patient digital self-management with healthcare professional support in primary care. Our aim is to develop digital behaviour change interventions for asthma and hypertension self-management, which will be examined in feasibility studies and full RCT (hypertension only). Issues surrounding the feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of digital intervention delivery will be explored with patients and healthcare professionals for each condition.
Our aim is to provide mindfulness training to patents attending the ‘difficult asthma’ clinic in Southampton, who also have scores on a screening questionnaire indicating significant anxiety levels. We want to see if the course can be delivered (and is acceptable) to these people and to provide information to support a subsequent larger, randomised controlled study.
Mindfulness is a type of meditation-based therapy that’s been used to treat a range of health conditions, including anxiety and depression. Currently, few studies have explored how mindfulness can help chronic health conditions like asthma.
Acute sinus infections are one of the commonest infections managed in primary care, Currently GPs prescribe antibiotics to most patients presenting with sinusitis, the highest of any of the common acute infections presenting in adults, at over 90%.
Professor Mike ThomasUniversity of Southampton, Primary Medical Care Aldermoor Health Centre, Aldermoor Close, Southampton SO16 5ST
Room Number: 9590 AHC/121/S2
