The Department advances clinical practice by ensuring our research translates directly from the laboratory into the real world, where it engages and informs different sectors concerned with healthcare including the NHS, industry, government, charities and the public. Below are some highlights of the impact our research has had.
Featured
Catching bowel cancer early
A national screening programme to detect the early stages of colorectal cancer - devised by Professor Wendy Atkin - will prevent 3,000 deaths a year once it is fully rolled out.
The iKnife
Our scientists have developed an "intelligent knife" that can tell surgeons immediately whether the tissue they are cutting is cancerous or not.
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The Prescribing Improvement Model
Hospital doctors receive little feedback on their prescribing errors and often remain unaware of having made them. A team of researchers within the Department's Patient Safety Translational Research Centre are working on an intervention to improve the provision of feedback on prescribing errors to make the system safer.
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REF impact case studies
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The 2014 REF outcome demonstrated the Department’s contribution to world-leading, original, significant and rigorous research with an exemplary approach to impact. In particular, the strength of Surgery and Surgical Technology research was noted and the reach and significance of impact in this area and in Cancer was noted.
REF case studies
REF case studies
Imperial has UK’s greatest research impact, finds REF 2014
Find out more about Imperial's submissions and view the results.