Professor Carolyn Tarrant

Group Lead of SAPPHIRE

Social Science Applied to Healthcare Improvement Research (SAPPHIRE) Group

Health Sciences
University of Leicester
George Davies Centre
University Road
Leicester, LE1 7RH

Tel: +44 (0)116 252 3217
Email: ccp3@le.ac.uk

Personal details

I am Professor and research group lead of the Social Science Applied to Healthcare Improvement Research (SAPPHIRE) Group, Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester. I am a social scientist with expertise in qualitative methods, including ethnographic methods in applied healthcare research. I am an investigator on several projects funded thorough the Joint Research Councils UK Theme of Behaviour Change and Antimicrobial Resistance. This includes a recent study to explore approaches to reducing broad-spectrum antibiotic use in acute medical patients internationally, and a study of the use of behaviour change theory to design interventions to reduce antibiotic prescribing across the healthcare economy in the UK. I have conducted research into the implementation of improvement programmes for healthcare associated infections and sepsis, including a qualitative study of the Matching Michigan programme to reduce central line infections in ICUs (Funded by the Health Foundation), and an evaluation of the Scottish Patient Safety Sepsis VTE Collaborative (funded by Healthcare Improvement Scotland). I lead qualitative workpackages across a number of large grants funded through the NIHR, including multi-site ethnographic research on patient experience and reflective learning in acute care (PEARL study). I have also studied the implications of measurement and performance management for quality improvement, and published a number of papers on this topic. I am Assistant Editor for the journals BMJ Quality & Safety, and the Journal of Hospital Infection. I am lead postgraduate tutor for the Department of Health Sciences.

External activities

• Charted psychologist, BPS (2008)
• Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy (2017)
• Associate Editor for the journals BMJ Quality & Safety and Journal of Hospital Infection

Teaching

• Psychology in medicine
• Qualitative methods

Publications

2019

• Krockow E.M. & Tarrant, C. (In press). The international dimensions of antimicrobial resistance: Contextual factors shape distinct ethical challenges in South Africa, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. Bioethics Wiley Online Library
• Brookes O, Brown C, Tarrant C, Archer J, Buckley D, Buckley LM, Clement I, Evison F, Gao Smith F, Gibbins C, Hayton E, Jones J, Lilford R, Mullhi R, Packer G, Perkins G, Shelton J, Snelson C, Sullivan P, Vlaev I, Wolstenholme D, Wright S , and Bion JF on behalf of the PEARL Collaboration. Patient Experience And Reflective Learning (Pearl): A Mixed Methods Protocol For Personal Insight Development In Healthcare BMJ Open 2019
• Tarrant C, Colman AM, Chattoe-Brown E, Jenkins DR, Mehtar S, Perera N, Krockow EM. Optimising antibiotic prescribing: Collective approaches to managing a common-pool resource. Clinical Microbiology & Infection
• Krockow EM, Tarrant C. The international dimensions of antimicrobial resistance: contextual factors shape distinct ethical challenges in South Africa, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. Bioethics (in press)
• Colman AM, Krockow EM, Chattoe-Brown E, Tarrant, C. Medical prescribing and antibiotic resistance: A game-theoretic analysis of a potentially catastrophic social dilemma. PLOS One (in press)

2018

• Lorencatto F, Charani E, Sevdalis N, Tarrant C, Davey P. (2018) Driving sustainable change in antimicrobial prescribing behaviours – How can social and behavioural sciences help? Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (in press)
• Bose P, Tarrant C, Mistri  A, Wilson A. Managing uncertainty: A qualitative study of GPs’ views on the diagnosis and immediate management of Transient Ischaemic Attack and the potential of a diagnostic tool. Family Practice (2018)
• Brown SA, Tyrer F, Clarke AL, Lloyd-Davies LH, Niyi-Odumosu FA, Nah R, Stein AG, Tarrant C, Smith A. Kidney Symptom Questionnaire: Development, content validation and relationship with quality of life. Journal of Renal Care (2018)
• Martin G, Aveling EL, Campbell A, Tarrant C, Pronovost P, Mitchell I, Dankers C, Bates DW, Dixon-Woods M. Making soft intelligence hard: a multi-site qualitative study of challenges relating to voice about safety concerns, BMJ Quality & Safety (2018)
• Armstrong N, Brewster L, Tarrant C, Dixon R, Willars J, Power M, Dixon-Woods M. Taking the heat or taking the temperature? A qualitative study of a large-scale exercise in seeking to measure for improvement, not blame. Social Science & Medicine Volume 198 (2018)
• Krockow EM, Colman AM, Chattoe-Brown E, Jenkins D, Perera N, Mehtar S, Tarrant C.Balancing the risks to individual and society: a systematic review and synthesis of qualitative research on antibiotic prescribing behavior in hospitals. Journal of Hospital Infection 9 August 2018

• Charani E, Ahmad R, Rawson TM, Castro-Sanchèz E, Tarrant C, Holmes A. (2018) The differences in antibiotic decision-making between acute surgical and acute medical teams - an ethnographic study of culture and team dynamics. (Clinical Infectious Diseases)

• Carr S, Kirtley J, Shaw E, Willars J, Tarrant C. (2018) A quality dashboard for the postgraduate training environment (The Clinical Teacher)

• Dixon-Woods M, Campbell A, Martin G, Willars J, Tarrant C, Aveling E-L, Sutcliffe K, Clements J, Carlstorm M, Pronovost P. (2018) Improving employee voice about transgressive or disruptive behavior: A case study.

• Sutton L, Bion J, Aldridge C, Boyal A, Willars J, Tarrant C. Quality and safety of in-hospital care for acute medical patients at weekends: A qualitative study. (BMC Health Services Research)

• Sutton E, Brewster L, Tarrant C. Making infection prevention and control everyone’s business? Hospital staff views on patient involvement (Health Expectations)

• Liberati E, Tarrant C, Willars J, Draycott T, Winter C, Chew S, Dixon-Woods M. How to be a very safe maternity unit: An ethnographic study (Social Science & Medicine)

2017

• Brown SA, Tyrer FC, Clarke AL, Lloyd-Davies LH, Stein A, Tarrant C, Burton JO, Smith AC. Symptom burden in patients with chronic kidney disease not receiving renal replacement therapy Clinical Kidney Journal 2017
• Tarrant C, Sutton E, Angell E on behalf of the HiSLAC study, et al The ‘weekend effect’ in acute medicine: a protocol for a team-based ethnography of weekend care for medical patients in acute hospital settings BMJ Open 2017;7:e016755. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016755
• Charani E, Tarrant C, Moorthy K, Sevdalis N, Brennan L, Holmes AH. (2017) Understanding antibiotic decision making in the surgical specialty – a qualitative analysis. Clinical Microbiology and Infection pii: S1198-743X(17)30182-9. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2017.03.013.
• Dixon-Woods M, Kocman D, Brewster L, Willars J, Laurie G, Tarrant C. A qualitative study of participants’ views on re-consent in a longitudinal biobank BMC Medical Ethics 2017 Mar 23;18(1):22
• Tarrant C, Myles L, Bion J and Dixon-Woods M. A qualitative study of speaking out about patient safety concerns in intensive care units Social Science & Medicine, Volume 193, November 2017, Pages 8-15
• Armstrong N, Tarrant C, Martin G, Manktelow B, Brewster L, Chew S. Independent evaluation of the feasibility of using the Patient Activation Measure in the NHS in England - Final report. (2017)
• Tarrant C, Sutton E, Angell E on behalf of the HiSLAC study, et al The ‘weekend effect’ in acute medicine: a protocol for a team-based ethnography of weekend care for medical patients in acute hospital settings BMJ Open (2017)

2016

• Tarrant, C.; O'Donnell, B.; Martin, G.; Bion, J.; Hunter, A.; Rooney, K.D. A complex endeavour: an ethnographic study of the implementation of the Sepsis Six clinical care bundle. Implement Sci. 2016 Nov 16;11(1):149.
• Carr S, Mukherjee T, Montgomery A, Durbridge M, Tarrant C. Developing the ‘gripes’ tool for junior doctors to report concerns: a pilot study. Pilot & Feasibility Studies. 2016 2:60
• Sutton E, Dixon-Woods M, Tarrant C. Ethnographic process evaluation of a quality improvement project to improve transitions of care for older people. BMJ Open. 2016 Aug 4;6(8):e010988.
• Yen-Fu C, Boyal A, Sutton E, Armoiry X, Watson S, Bion J, Tarrant C, and on behalf of the HiSLAC Collaborative (2016) The magnitude and mechanisms of the weekend effect in hospital admissions: A protocol for a mixed method review incorporating a systematic review and framework synthesis. Systematic Reviews 5(1):84
• Aldridge C, Bion J, Boyal A, Chen YF, Clancy M, Evans T, Girling A, Lord J, Mannion R, Rees P, Roseveare C, Rudge G, Sun J, Tarrant C, Temple M, Watson S, Lilford R; HiSLAC Collaborative. Weekend specialist intensity and admission mortality in acute hospital trusts in England: a cross-sectional study. Lancet. 2016 May 10. pii: S0140-6736(16)30442-1.
• Brewster E, Tarrant C, Dixon-Woods M. A qualitative study of views and experiences of performance management for healthcare-associated infections. Journal of Hospital Infection
• Soto C, Tarrant C, Dixon-Woods M. What is the right approach to infection prevention and control for children living at home with invasive devices? Journal of Hospital Infection DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2015.12.023

2015

• Armstrong N, Tarrant C, Martin G, Manktelow, B, Brewster L. Independent evaluation of the feasibility of using the Patient Activation Measure in the NHS in England: Early Findings NHS England Gateway
• Hooper P, Kocman D, Carr S, Tarrant C. (2015) Junior doctors’ views on reporting concerns about patient safety: a qualitative study. BMJ Postgraduate Medical Journal
• Tarrant C, Jackson C, Dixon-Woods M, McNicol S, Kenyon S, Armstrong N. Consent revisited: The impact of return of results on participants’ views and expectations about trial participation. Health Expectations
• Brewster L, Aveling EL, Martin P, Tarrant C, Dixon-Woods M and the Safer Clinical Systems Core Group Writing and Evaluation Committee. What to expect when you’re evaluating healthcare improvement: a concordat approach to managing collaboration and uncomfortable realities. BMJ Quality and Safety
• Hayden C, Neame R, Tarrant C. Patients’ adherence-related beliefs about methotrexate: a qualitative study of the role of written patient information. BMJ Open

2014

• Tarrant C, Windridge K, Baker R, Freeman G, Boulton, M. Falling through gaps: primary care patients’ accounts of breakdowns in experienced continuity of care. Family Practice
• Patel RS, Tarrant C, Bonas S, Yates J, Sandars J. The struggling student: a thematic analysis from the self-regulated learning perspective. Medical Education

2013

• Dixon-Woods M, Leslie M, Tarrant C, Bion J. Explaining Matching Michigan: an ethnographic study of a patient safety program. Implementation Science, 8:70
• Armstrong N, Jackson C, McNicol S, Dixon-Woods M, Kenyon S, Tarrant C. Unblinding following trial participation: participants’ perspectives. Clinical Trials. 10(1), 97 - 103.
• Baker R, Tarrant C. Access to general practice in a time of austerity. British Journal of General Practice; 63(608): 116-7. (invited editorial)
• Tarrant C; Wobi F; Angell E. Tackling health inequalities: socio-demographic data could play a bigger role. Family Practice 30: 613-614 (invited editorial)

2012

• Armstrong N, Dixon-Woods M, Rusk G, Thomas A, Tarrant C. Do informed consent documents for cancer trials do what they should? A study of manifest and latent functions. Sociology of Health & Illness. 34(8) 1230–1245.
• Dixon-Woods M, Leslie M, Bion J, Tarrant C. What counts? An ethnographic study of infection data reported to a patient safety program. The Milbank Quarterly, 90, 3, (pp. 548–591)
• Soto C, Tarrant C, Pritchard-Jones K, Dixon- Woods M. Consent to tissue banking for research: qualitative study and recommendations. Archives of Disease in Childhood ;97:632-636

2011

• Dixon-Woods M, Tarrant C, Jackson CJ, Jones DR, Kenyon S. Providing feedback to study participants: a mixed-method study of the benefits and challenges of a consultative approach. Clinical Trials
• Baker R, Smith A, Tarrant C, McKinley RK, Taub N. Patient feedback in revalidation: an exploratory study using the consultation satisfaction questionnaire. BJGP

2010

• Tarrant C, Dixon-Woods M, Colman A, STokes T. Continuity and trust in primary care: A qualitative study informed by game theory. Ann Fam Med 8:440-446
• Dixon-Woods M, Tarrant C, Willars J, Suokas A. How will it work? A qualitative study of strategic stakeholders' accounts of a pateint safety initiative. Quality and Safety in Health Care, 19, 74-78

2009

• Sinfield P, Baker R, Tarrant C, Agarwal S, Colman AM, Steward S, Kockelbergh R, Mellon JK. The Prostate Care Questionnaire for Carers (PCQ–C): Reliability, validity and acceptability. BMC Health Services Research, 9, 229.
• Tarrant C, Baker R, Colman AM, Sinfield P, Agarwal S, Mellon JK, Steward W, Kockelbergh R. The Prostate Care Questionnaire for Patients (PCQ–P): Reliability, validity and acceptability. BMC Health Services Research, 9, 199.
• Dixon-Woods M, Suokas A, Pitchforth E, Tarrant C. An ethnographic study of classifying and accounting for risk at the sharp end of medical wards. Social Science & Medicine, 69(3), 362-369
• Angell EL, Tarrant C, Dixon-Woods M. Research involving storage and use of human tissue: how did the Human Tissue Act affect decisions by Research Ethics Committees? Journal of Clinical Pathology, 62, 825-829
• Sinfield P, Baker R, Camosso-Stefinovic J, Colman AM, Tarrant C, Mellon JK, Steward W, Kockelbergh R, Agarwal S. Men's and carers' experiences of care for prostate cancer: a narrative literature review. Health Expectations, 12(3), 301/312
• Dixon-Woods M, Tarrant C. Why do people cooperate with medical research? Findings from three studies. Social Science & Medicine, 68, 2215–2222.

2008

• Tarrant C, Colman AM, Stokes T. Past experience, ‘shadow of the future', and patient trust: A cross-sectional survey. British Journal of General Practice, 58, 780-783
• Sinfield P, Baker R, Agarwal S, Tarrant C Patient-centred care: what are the experiences of prsotate cancer patients and their partners? Patient Education and Counselling 73, 91-96.
• Dixon-Woods M, Angell E, Tarrant C, Thomas. A What do research ethics committees say about applications to conduct cancer trials? Lancet Oncology, 9, 700-701.
• Tarrant C, Sinfield P, Agarwal S, Baker R. Is seeing a specialist nurse associated with positive experiences of care? The role and value of specialist nurses in prostate cancer care. BMC Health Services Research, 8:65

2007

• Turner D, Tarrant C, Windridge K, Bryan S, Boulton M, Freeman G, Baker R. Do patients value continuity of care in general practice? An investigation using stated preference discrete choice experiments. Journal of Health Services Research & Policy. 12 (3) 132–137
• Baker R, Boulton M, Windridge K, Tarrant C, Bankart J, & Freeman GK. Interpersonal continuity of care: A cross-sectional survey of primary care patients’ preferences and their experiences. British Journal of General Practice. 57(537), 283-289.

Earlier

• Boulton M, Tarrant C, Baker R, Windridge K, & Freeman GK. (2006). How are different types of continuity achieved? A mixed methods longitudinal study. British Journal of General Practice. 56(531). 749-755.
• Stokes T, Tarrant C, Mainous III AG, Schers H, Freeman G, Baker R. (2005). Continuity of care – is the personal doctor still important? An international survey of general practitioners and family physicians in England & Wales, United States and the Netherlands. Annals of Family Medicine. 3(4), 353-359
• Stokes T, Tarrant C, Baker R, Freeman G. (2005). Continuity of care and the new GMS Contract: A survey of general practitioners in England and Wales. Quality in Primary Care. 13, 25-27.
• Tarrant C, Stokes T, Colman AM. (2004). Models of the medical consultation: opportunities and limitations of a game theory perspective. Quality and Safety in Health Care. 13:461-466.
• Windridge K, Tarrant C, Freeman G, Baker R, Boulton M, Low J. (2004). Problems with a ‘target’ approach to access in primary care: a qualitative study. British Journal of General Practice. 54, 364-366.
• Tarrant C, Stokes T, Baker R. (2003). Factors associated with patients’ trust in their general practitioner: a cross-sectional survey. British Journal of General Practice, 53, 798-800
• Tarrant C, Windridge K, Boulton M, Baker R, Freeman G. (2003). Qualitative study of the meaning of personal care in general practice. British Medical Journal. 326,1310-1317
• Preston CC & Colman AM. (2000). Optimal number of response categories in rating scales: reliability, validity, discriminating power and respondent preferences. Acta Psychologica. 104, 1-15
• Baker R, Preston C, Cheater F, Hearnshaw H. (1999) Measuring patients' attitudes to care across the primary/secondary interface: development of the patient career diary. Quality in Health Care. 8(3), 154-161.
• Preston C, Cheater F, Baker R, Hearnshaw H. (1999) Left in limbo: Patients’ views on care across the primary/secondary interface. Quality in Health Care. 8(1) 16-20.

PhD thesis

• Tarrant, CC (2006). Continuity, trust, and cooperation: a Game Theory perspective on the GP-patient interaction. University of Leicester

Research

My research interests include the application of social science to the problems of antimicrobial resistance and healthcare associated infections, the implementation of patient safety interventions, patient involvement in the quality and safety of healthcare, and practical and ethical challenges in ethnographic research.

Current projects

1. Antimicrobial resistance as a social dilemma: Approaches to reducing broad-spectrum antibiotic use in acute medical patients internationally.
   Carolyn Tarrant, Andrew Colman, Edmund Chattoe-Brown, David Jenkins, Nelun Perera, Shaheen Mehta 
   ESRC, Jan 2017- Dec 2019
2. How can a successful Maternity Safety Improvement Programme be scaled?
   Mary Dixon-Woods, Tim Draycott, Carolyn Tarrant 
   The Health Foundation, 2017-2019
3. Patient Experience And Reflective Learning (PEARL)
   Julian Bion et al. 
   NIHR, 2016-2019
4. Preserving Antibiotics through Safe Stewardship (PASS)
   Andrew Hayward (UCL), Susan Michie (UCL) et al
   ESRC / joint research councils, 2017-2020
5. Improving antibiotic usage and post-operative outcomes along the surgical pathway (ASPIRES)
   Alison Holmes (Imperial College) et al
   ESRC / joint research councils, 2017-2021
6. Stepping Up: A Phased Evaluation of the Impact of High-Intensity Specialist-Led Acute Care (HiSLAC) of Emergency Medical Admissions to NHS Hospitals
   Julian Bion (University of Birmingham) et al 
   NIHR, 2014-2019

Previous projects

• Enhanced Peri-Operative Care for High-risk patients (EPOCH) Trial. A stepped wedge randomised cluster trial of an intervention to improve quality of care for patients undergoing emergency laparotomy. 
  Miqdad Asaria, Julian Bion, David Cromwell, Omar Faiz, Alan Girling, Mike Grocott, Peter Holt, Sally Kerry, Richard Lilford, Rupert Pearse, Carol Peden, Ravi Mahajan, Graham Martin, Gerry Richardson, Kate Rivett, Carolyn Tarrant, Tim Stephens. 
  NIHR
• Evaluation of NHS Safety Thermometer data collection and use. 
  Natalie Armstrong, Mary Dixon-Woods, Carolyn Tarrant. 
  Salford Royal NHS
• Evaluation of the Sepsis / VTE (venous thromboembolism) Collaborative
  Carolyn Tarrant, Graham Martin, Julian Bion. 
  Healthcare Improvement Scotland
• Evaluation of Safer Clinical Systems
  Mary Dixon-Woods, Graham Martin, Carolyn Tarrant, Julian Bion, Armstrong Institute. 
  The Health Foundation
• ‘Why is Southmead safe’ - a qualitative study exploring how and why the PROMPT training programme works at Southmead, Bristol
• An evaluation of the feasibility of using The Patient Activation Measure in NHS primary care in England
  N Armstrong, C Tarrant, G Martin and B Manktelow. 
  The Health Foundation / NHS England
• Commercial use of tissue samples in the 1958 birth cohort: a study of participants' views.  
  Mary Dixon-Woods, Carolyn Tarrant, Paul Burton, Madeleine Murtagh, Susan Wallace, Graeme Laurie. 
  MRC & Wellcome Trust
• An ethnographic study of efforts to reduce central venous catheter blood stream infections in intensive care units in England (Dixon-Woods M, Tarrant C, Lilford R, Bion J)
• Responsiveness of primary care services: development of a patient-report measure (Tarrant C, Baker R, Boulton M, Freeman G, Box G, Jackson P)
• The experience of medical students classified as unsatisfactory at finals (Patel R, Kitchen R, Briggs J, Bonas S, Tarrant C, Hastings A)
• Exploration of feedback of results to participants of the ORACLE Children’s Study (Kenyon S, Dixon-Woods M, Jackson C, Tarrant C).
• Further analysis of cancer trial research ethics committee applications: improving quality in patient information sheets (Dixon-Woods M, Tarrant C, Angell E).

Supervision

Postgraduate supervision (1st supervisor)

• Tom Furniss - The impact of environment and routines on interactions with patients and relatives in acute care settings: a video-reflexive ethnography