Colin Bicknell

Clinical Reader in Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine

Imperial College London

How did the CF grant enable your research?

In October 2011, I was awarded the Circulation Foundation President’s Early Career Award and over the following 24 months undertook the following research: ‘A national evaluation of error in the vascular and endovascular operating environment,’ as the principal investigator.

How did the funding positively impact knowledge and provision of care?

This award was the start of a highly successful research theme improving the safety of patients undergoing vascular treatments and developing high performance teams.

The grant facilitated the management of the first national studies on error in vascular/endovascular theatres, the LEAP study.

This multicenter study to examine the landscape of error in aortic procedures for the first time highlighted the common major errors that occur in vascular theatres and quantified the effects of these major errors. Patient harm was evident in over 10% of procedures due to errors.

The multidisciplinary team that led this study have gone in to investigate methods to reduce error at critical stages of the procedure, using simulation for validated assessment of individuals and teams at all stages of training.

This body of work led directly to the development of team training programmes in vascular surgery at Imperial College and elsewhere, utilising high-fidelity simulators.

Publications resulting from research supported by the Circulation Foundation

Multicentre observational study of surgical system failures in aortic procedures and their effect on patient outcomes. Lear R, Riga C, Godfrey AD, Falaschetti E, Cheshire NJ, Van Herzeele I, Norton C, Vincent C, Darzi AW, Bicknell CD; LEAP Study Collaborators. Br J Surg. 2016 Oct;103(11):1467-75.

For other publications, please visit: Colin Bicknell Publications | Imperial College London