Arabella Scantlebury
Associate Professor

Profile

Biography

Arabella is an applied health services researcher in the York Trials Unit. As a qualitative methodologist, Arabella’s main area of expertise is in designing and conducting qualitative research in the context of randomised controlled trials and complex national mixed methods evaluations of health policy. She also has methodological experience in: evidence synthesis (qualitative evidence synthesis, scoping reviews, systematic reviews), randomised controlled trials and mixed methods research.

Arabella has conducted research across health, education and criminal justice. However, special areas of interest include research undertaken in secondary care, with a specific focus on orthopaedic surgery and emergency medicine.

Qualifications

• PhD Health Sciences, University of York, 'Using Socio-Technical Thinking to Explore the Implementation of Electronic Patient Records within NHS Secondary Care Organisations'
• MSc Psychological Approaches to Health, University of Leeds 
• BSc Sport and Exercise Science, University of Leeds

Departmental roles

• Programme Lead MSc Health Research

Research

Overview

Arabella is an applied health services researcher with interests in the following areas:

• Applied health services research
• Qualitative methodology
• Qualitative research in the context of randomised controlled trials
• Recruitment optimisation to randomised controlled trials
• Intervention fidelity
• Orthopaedic surgery
• Surgical decision-making
• Emergency medicine

Arabella has a particular interest in using qualitative research to inform the design and evaluation of randomised controlled trials. She has experience in: mixed methods, evidence synthesis and qualitative research.

Projects

• ACTIVE: External frame versus internal locking plate for articular pilon fracture fixation in adult patients - a multi-centre randomised controlled trial
• FIREFLI: Safe and well visits by the Fire and Rescue Service to prevent falls and improve quality of life in elderly population
• FLARE - A multi-centre, two-arm, non-inferiority, parallel group, randomised controlled trial with an internal pilot, economic evaluation and nested qualitative study, to assess whether the repair of the Flexor Digitorum Profundus (FDP) alone results in a as good as quality of life compared to repairing FDP and the Flexor Digitorum Superficialis (FDS).
• INTERACT - A cluster RCT of Intensive Interaction to support the communication abilities of children and young people with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD)
• MEASURE - A national, mixed-methods study to evaluate the impact of High-volume low-complexity surgical hubs in England.
• NIHR Global Health Research Center – the impact center
• TIDE - An RCT investigating alternatives to mupirocin for early nasal decolonisation of MRSA amongst adult hospital in-patients
• Understanding what influences orthopaedic surgical decision-making: a qualitative evidence synthesis to be added

Previous Projects

• ASSSIST 2: Autism Spectrum Social Stories In Schools Trial 2
• Management of sudden onset severe headache presenting to the Emergency Department: a systematic review and qualitative study
• PRESTO: Surgical fixation versus non-operative management for patients with stable thoracolumbar fractures: a feasibility study
• PROLLIT: Patient Reported Outcome Measure for Lower Limb Reconstruction
• GPED: General Practitioners and Emergency Departments: Efficient models of care
• OTIS: The clinical and cost effectiveness of a home environment assessment and modification, to reduce falls among older people
• Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for non-respiratory sleep disturbance in children with neurodevelopmental disorders: a systematic review.

Research group(s)

• Trials and Statistics

Supervision

Arabella would be interested in supervising PhDs which involve using qualitative research alongside randomised controlled trials and/or which explore fidelity in pragmatic trials.

Current Students:

• Lubena Mirza

Teaching

Postgraduate

• Programme lead MSc Health Research
• Lecturer: Qualitative Research Methods Module

Publications

Full publications list

• Arabella Scantlebury's publications

External activities

Memberships

• Stroke Association Rehabilitation and Long-term care panel member for Project Grant Awards (qualitative and trial methodology expertise)

Editorial duties

• Associate Editor of BMC Trials