The University of Sheffield
Health Services Research

Professor Suzanne Mason MBBS, FRCS, FFAEM, MD

Professor of Emergency Medicine

image of Sue Mason

Tel: (+44) (0)114 2220694
Email: s.mason@sheffield.ac.uk

Room: 3019

Biography

I qualified in medicine from London University in 1990. I pursued my training initially in surgery and then specialised in Emergency Medicine. I spent a year as a Royal College of Surgeons of England Research Fellow and was awarded an MD whilst undertaking higher training in Emergency Medicine. I joined Sheffield University as a Senior Clinical Lecturer in 2001, was promoted to Reader in 2007 and professor in 2010. I am currently Director of Health Services Research for ScHARR. I divide my time between the university and as a consultant at the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust emergency department.

My main research interests include evaluating complex interventions in emergency and urgent care. I am particularly interested in the evaluation of new roles and alternative pathways of patient care.

Current studies include evaluating junior doctor confidence and competence in carrying out their role in emergency medicine (The EDiT study), evaluating the use of a falls pathway by paramedics attending older people who have fallen (SAFER 2 Trial), and assessing the impact that the UK four-hour Emergency Department target has had on patient care (SAFETIME study).

Research Interests

My research interests relate to the evaluation of complex interventions and systems in emergency care settings. I have extensive experience in multi-centre mixed methods studies which can directly inform the delivery of high quality emergency care to patients.

Teaching Interests

Undergraduate

Phase 2B SSC student placement - MBBS

MBBS year 3 - Intercalated BMedSci

Postgraduate

Masters in Public Health (HSR) - Lecture

Specialist registrars in emergency medicine - Educational supervisor and small group teaching

Foundation year doctors in emergency medicine - Educational supervisor and small group teaching

PhD supervision (Jenny Lai) - Second supervisor

Other Teaching Activities

Advanced Trauma Life Support Courses - Teaching course material and undertaking assessments

Emergency medicine CPD courses - Teaching course material

Teaching Publications

  1. Pickering A, Mason S. Lower Abdominal Pain. In: Morris F, Fletcher A. Emergency Medicine Short Cases. Blackwell Publishing, 2009.
  2. Mason S. Pleural Effusion. In: Cameron P, Jelinek G, Kelly AM, Murray L, Heyworth J (Eds) Adult Textbook of Emergency Medicine, 3rd Edition. Churchill Livingstone, 2009.
  3. Mason S. Mental Health In: Cameron P, Jelinek G, Kelly AM, Murray L, Heyworth J (Eds) Adult Textbook of Emergency Medicine, 3rd Edition. Churchill Livingstone, 2009.

Professional Activities

Journal Referee work: Regular peer review of submitted papers for: Emergency Medicine Journal, European Journal of Emergency Medicine, Annals of Emergency Medicine, General Hospital Psychiatry, European Psychiatry, BMC Trials, BMJ.

Grant referee work: Peer review of applications for funding from: NIHR HTA. Member of panel of experts for HTA, NIHR Research for patient benefit programme, UK College of emergency medicine, NIHR SDO reviewer, Diabetes UK, EPSRC.

Current Projects

Principal Investigator

The AHEAD Study: Managing anticoagulated patients who suffer head injury, 2010 -, NIHR Research for Patient Benefit Programme, Principal Investigator - S Mason, Other Investigators - S Ramlakhan, D Teare, M Holmes, M Stevenson, £250,000.

SAFETIME project. Impact of time targets on quality of Accident & Emergency Department care, 2009 - 2010, BUPA Foundation, Principal Investigator - S Mason, Other Investigator - E Weber, £52,732.

The impact of foundation doctor training: impact on workforce wellbeing and patient care, 2008 -2011, NIHR Service Delivery and Organisation R&D Programme, Principal Investigator - S Mason, Other Investigators - R O´Hara, C O´Keeffe, J Grant, G Needham, A Fletcher, A Carter, £415,244.

Co-investigator

Evaluating the safety of ambulance service transfers and handovers, 2011 -, NIHR SDO, Principal Investigator - R O´Hara, Other Investigators - J Turner, N Sirowardena, S Mason, £500,000.

Systematic Review of clinical outcome and cost effectiveness comparing a policy of triage and direct transfer to specialist care centres with delivery to the nearest local hospital, 2010 -, NIHR SDO, Principal Investigator - A Pickering, Other Investigators - S Mason, J Turner, J Nicholl, M Stevenson, £135,928.

Is it feasible to conduct a cluster randomised trial of early neurosurgery in traumatic brain injury?, 2010 -, NIHR HTA, Principal Investigator - F Lecky, Other Investigators - S Mason, S Goodacre, K Mackway-Jones, £500,000.

Care of older people who fall: evaluation of the clinical and cost effectiveness of new protocols for emergency ambulance paramedics to assess and refer to appropriate community based care, 2009 - 2011, NIHR HTA, Principal Investigator - H Snooks, Other Investigators - S Mason, J Nicholl, J Dale, M Halter, J Phillips, C Phillips, R Lyons, I Russell, W Cheung, N Siriwardena, £739,960.

Evaluation of community veterans mental health pilots, 2008-2010, Ministry of Defence, Principal Investigator - M Barkham, Other Investigators - G Parry, S Mason, £120,000.

Key Publications

  1. Mason S, O'Keeffe C, Knowles E, Patterson M, O'Hara R, Campbell M, Bradburn M. A pragmatic quasi-experimental multi-site community intervention trial (NEECaP) evaluating the impact of Emergency Care Practitioners in different UK health settings on patient pathways. Emergency Medicine Journal, October 2010
  2. Weber, EJ, Mason S, Hew R, Carter A. Emptying the Corridors of Shame: Organizational Lessons from England's Four-hour Emergency Throughput Target, Annals of Emergency Medicine, In Press, August 2010
  3. Freeman, J, Croft S, Cross S, Yap C, Mason S. The impact of the 4 hour target on patient care and outcomes in the Emergency Department: an analysis of hospital incidence data. Emergency Medicine Journal, In press, 2010
  4. Dixon S, Mason S, Knowles E, Colwell B, Wardrope J, Gorringe R. Cost-effectiveness analysis of a paramedic practitioner scheme (PPOPS) for elderly patients. Emergency Medicine Journal, 2009 Jun;26(6):446-51
  5. Mason S, Farrow TFD, Fawbert D, Smith R, Bath PA, Hunter M, Woodruff PW, Turpin G. The development of a clinically useful tool for predicting the development of psychological disorder following injury. British Journal of Clinical Psychology. 48:31-45; 2009
  6. Eagles D, Stiell I, Clement C, Brehaut J, Taljaard M, Kelly A-M, Mason S, Kellerman A. International Survey of Emergency Physicians' Awareness and Use of the Canadian C-Spine Rule and the Canadian CT Head Rule. Academic Emergency Medicine, 2008 Dec;15(12):1256-61
  7. Clesham K, Mason S, Gray J, Walters S. Can Emergency Medical Service Staff Predict Disposition Of Patients They Are Transporting? Emergency Medicine Journal, Emergency Medicine Journal, 25: 691 - 694, 2008
  8. Mason S, Knowles E, Freeman J, Snooks H. Safety of paramedics with extended skills. Academic Emergency Medicine, 15:607-612, 2008
  9. Locker T, Thompson C, Rylance J, Mason S. The utility ofclinical features in patients presenting with nontraumatic headache: an investigation of adult patients attending an Emergency Department. Headache. 2006 Jun;46(6):954-61
  10. Locker T, Mason S. Analysis of the distribution of time that patients spend in Emergency Departments. British Medical Journal, 2005;330:1188 - 1189

Section

Suzanne Mason is based in the section of Health Services Research

Address: Health Services Research, School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 30  Regent Street, Sheffield, S1 4DA.

Contact Number: 0114 2220834 Contact Fax: 0114 2220749