Dr Clare Carolan

Senior Lecturer / Programme Lead, MSc in Rural Advanced Practice
clare.carolan@uhi.ac.uk

Biography

Clare is a qualified doctor with over 30 years clinical experience. She initially worked in General Medicine before becoming a GP.  She was a GP partner in North Wales for 11 years before returning to Scotland in 2008 to become a sessional GP in the Western Isles. Clare is passionate about healthcare education and continuing professional development. She has worked in a variety of roles including undergraduate GP tutor, GP appraiser and Primary Care Appraisal Lead. Clare has over 10 years teaching and curriculum development experience in higher education settings in undergraduate nursing and postgraduate advanced clinical practice.  

Research

Clare’s PhD research used family systems theories to explore the experience of emotional distress and help-seeking for distress in families living with advanced cancer. Clare’s current research centres on public health approaches to palliative and end of life care, healthcare professional education & support, and pedagogical innovation. She is a member of the Last Aid Research Group International (LARGI).

Clare has extensive experience in all aspects of the research process including study design, data collection, data analysis and report writing. She has expertise in systematic reviews and qualitative methodologies, in particular case study. She was an invited expert on a recent Delphi Study developing the TRIPLE C reporting principles for case study evaluations of the role of context in complex interventions.

Recent projects:

Crabtree, D. R., Carolan, C. and Johnstone, A. M. (2023-) Exploring malnutrition in later life in the Western Isles of Scotland Scottish Rural Health Partnership.

Carey N, Bain H, Carolan C, Hayes D. and MacPhee M (2022-) Exploring non-doctor prescribing activity and trends, and factors that support or inhibit uptake or implementation in remote, rural and island locations in Scotland Scottish Rural Health Partnership.

Carolan C and Macaden L (2022-) Last Aid 2: Last Aid for Young Scots Health Innovation Fund

Carolan C, Macaden L, Tracey, A. and Gbakinro F. (2021-21) Audience of the Future – Bringing accessible, low-cost VR to Health and Social Care VR Hive

Schoultz M, Dickens G, Beattie M, Macaden L. and Carolan C (2021-22). An evaluation of Psychological First Aid for improving psychological outcomes for care home teams during the COVID-19 pandemic The RCN Foundation.

Munoz SA, Grindle M, Bradley S, Heaton J, Zubala A, De Kock H, Macaden L, Carolan C et al. (2020-21). Understanding the experience of the covid-19 pandemic for residents with LTCs, their families, carers, and community support organisations in remote and rural areas of the Highlands and Islands UHI COVID – 19 Call.

Beattie M, Macaden L, Carolan C, Schoultz M, MacGilleEathain R, Dingwall L, and McIver A. Care Home Staff Experiences during Covid-19. (2020-21) UHI COVID – 19 Call.

Macaden L and Carolan C. (2020-21). Creating Compassionate Virtual Rural Communities to support Palliative / End of Life Care needs in the Highlands, The Highland Hospice.

Publications

Recent publications:

  1. Schoultz M, McGrogan C, Beattie M, Macaden L, Carolan C andDickens GL (2022) Uptake and effects of psychological first aid training for healthcare workers’ wellbeing in nursing homes: A UK national survey. PLoS ONE 17(11) e0277062 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0277062
  2. Beattie M, Carolan C, Macaden L, MacIver A, Dingwall L, MacGilleeathain R and Schoultz M (2022) Care Home Workers Experiences of Stress and Coping During Covid-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study. Nursing Open https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1335
  3. Macaden L, Broadfoot K, Carolan C, Muirhead K, Neylon S and Keen J. (2022) Last Aid Training Online: Participants’ and Facilitators’ Perceptions from a Mixed-Methods Study in Rural Scotland. Healthcare 10, 918. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10050918
  4. Schoultz M, McGrogan C, Beattie M, Macaden L, Carolan C, Polson R. and Dickens G. (2022) Psychological first aid for workers in care and nursing homes: systematic review. BMC Nursing 21, 96 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-022-00866-6
  5. Hubbard G, Broadfoot K, Carolan C and van Woerden HC. (2021) An Exploratory Qualitative Study of Computer Screening to Support Decision-Making about Use of Palliative Care Registers in Primary Care: GP Think Aloud and Patient and Carer Interviews. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/21501327211024402
  6. MacIver A, Hollinger H. and Carolan C. (2021) Tele-health interventions to support self-management in adults with rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review. Rheumatology International https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-021-04907-2
  7. Carolan C, Davies CL, Crookes P, McGhee S and Roxburgh M. (2020) COVID 19: Disruptive impacts and transformative opportunities in undergraduate nurse education Nurse Education in Practice org/10.1016/j.nepr.2020.102807
  8. Keeley P, Buchanan D, Carolan C, Pivodic L, Tavabie S and Noble S. (2020) Symptom burden and clinical profile of COVID-19 deaths: a rapid systematic review and evidence summary BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care doi: 10.1136/bmjspcare-2020-002368
  9. Hubbard G, Smith A, Carolan C, Stephen K. and MacGilleEathain R. (2019). Evaluation of New Models of Primary Care in Scotland: Highlands and Islands Case Study. http://www.sspc.ac.uk/media/media_645755_en.pdf

A list of publications can be viewed on PURE

Qualifications

  • MB ChB
  • MRCP
  • MRCGP
  • MSc (Advanced Practice in Palliative Care)
  • PhD

Professional bodies

  •  GMC

Responsibilities

  • Senior Lecturer
  • Programme Lead for MSc Rural Advanced Practice
  • Internationalisation Lead

Expertise

Teaching and Learning

  • Supervision: MSc Dissertation, MRes, PhD
  • Advanced Clinical Examination Skills, Remote and Rural Health Care, Communication Skills, Palliative Care and Multimorbidity.

Research/scholarly

  • Qualitative Research, Systematic Reviews, Palliative Care, Health Care Professional Education, Primary Care, Family Experience