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Because of the arduous nature of recruit training, high wastage (due to failure or withdrawal) has always been a problem for the Armed Services. A ten year programme of research funded by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) led to changes in the delivery of training across the three Armed Services (especially the Army), the formation of a new Army training establishment, a new tri-service monitoring and training body, better mental health in military recruits, and significant reductions in wastage rates (up to 15%). The model developed by this research has also informed training in the Canadian and United States Armed Services.
Thousands of animals are housed in captive conditions worldwide, often to the detriment of their mental well-being. Scientists at Queen's Animal Behaviour Centre have spent the last 20 years developing new ways of improving the psychological welfare of animals housed in captivity. Their research has shown that classical music and scents such as lavender in dog shelters calms the animals, and that shielding zoo-housed gorillas from visitors with camouflage netting over the viewing windows, prevents great apes from becoming agitated. The impact of this research extends to guidelines and regulations set by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Australian Government's National Health and Medical Research Council. Commercial impact includes CDs of music composed specifically for dogs, now widely available to buy on the open market, and being utilised in 1700+ rescue shelters and by over 150,000 pet owners around the globe.
As a consequence of a research-based training programme developed at the University of Bristol, the rates of perinatal hypoxia and intrapartum fetal injury in Bristol and two pilot units in Australia and the US are now among the lowest in the world. The improvements achieved in Bristol, the US and Australia have also been successfully achieved in a low resource setting in Zimbabwe.
In response to demand from maternity units across the world, the Bristol team has developed PROMPT — a PRactical Obstetric Multi-Professional Training package, which has been successfully implemented in over 20 countries worldwide. PROMPT has had a major health and welfare impact on more than a million mothers and their babies, as well as bringing substantial economic benefits and supporting international development.
This case study has improved the quality of life for patients suffering with visual field defects after brain injury such as hemianopia, which affects more than 4,000 people in the UK each year. Different types of rehabilitation, such as those aimed at enhancing exploration or reading, have been shown to have a direct positive impact on patients, improving their confidence, independence, self-esteem and general quality of life. Approximately 200 individuals have benefitted from Durham University's visual rehabilitation programmes to date, including some patients internationally, with a CD toolkit being provided to countries such as Belgium, Denmark, and Chile. This research therefore has direct impacts on health and wellbeing worldwide and has influenced the care offered by NHS practitioners.