Studies of patients and service user care needs including:

• quality of life, management of acute and chronic symptoms, management of side effects, rehabilitation, long term morbidity and reproductive issues
• psychological impact of illness
• social and economic consequences of ill health
• behaviour affecting disease management including secondary prevention, compliance to treatment and attitudes and beliefs relating to seeking treatment
• assessment of social care and health services needs
• educational or communication interventions to promote self-care or improve health care by carers
• impact on carers

Studies involving all issues related to palliative care and end of life care including:

• assessment of patient, service user and carer needs
• provision and evaluation of palliative and end of life care services
• quality of life for patients and carers
• evaluation of interventions for health and social care professionals
• social, economic and policy issues
• pain management for terminally ill people
• bereavement

Studies into all aspects of the management of diseases, ill health and conditions by health and social care professionals, including:

•  attitudes, beliefs and behaviours of health and social care professionals
• investigation of decision making including factors influencing diagnosis, treatment, referral and management strategies
• educational interventions and communication practices
• development of guidelines, interventions or models to assist decision making and management, including identifying symptoms, predicting outcomes and identifying individuals at risk
• testing and evaluating management regimes and strategies

• development and/or distribution of resources and equipment for use by the community including informatics systems
• infrastructure support for trials, networks, consortia and centres