Research Publications
A list of all my publications, as a (co-)author. It will also give you a feeling for the types of research projects I worked on.
My research has explored how software can support healthcare and everyday life: helping older people stay connected, supporting clinical decisions, and making health information useful for research. I've worked with clinical and academic collaborators across inclusive design, primary care, health services research and, now, research data infrastructure. My contribution has usually been the technical side: designing and building the software a study depends on, and producing the data for analysis.
Research infrastructure
I lead technical and product work at Precision ALS, based in Trinity College Dublin's ADAPT Centre, which brings clinicians and data scientists across Europe together around shared data. The most recent paper comes from its sister programme, Precision MS, and sets out a feasibility process for bringing new sites and datasets into that kind of infrastructure.
Primary care and clinical decision support
I built and supported the software behind studies on prescribing and the use of clinical information in general practice, including OPTI-SCRIPT, which tested an intervention to reduce potentially inappropriate prescribing in older patients, and work on electronic clinical prediction rules. Other collaborations built tools inside electronic medical records and used the Irish Primary Care Research Network for research.
Medication safety and health services research
Collaborative work on medication reconciliation, continuity of medication after a hospital stay, smoking cessation advice and patient preferences for referral.
Inclusive design
My research at Trinity College Dublin looked at how technology could support social interaction among older people in care settings, starting from what the people using it actually needed.
Publications
Newest first. My Google Scholar profile and ORCID record carry the citation record.
2025
A proposed feasibility process: lessons learned from the Precision MS project. S Impey, S Jordan, L Douris, G Stephens, L Hederman, M Heverin, M Galvin, R McDonnell, F Gibbons, O Hardiman. Good Evaluation, Better Digital Health: Proceedings of the EFMI Special Topic Conference 2025, 268–272. doi:10.3233/shti251542
2019
Unintended discontinuation of medication following hospitalisation: a retrospective cohort study. P Redmond, R McDowell, TC Grimes, F Boland, R McDonnell, C Hughes, T Fahey. BMJ Open 9(6), e024747. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024747
2018
Impact of medication reconciliation for improving transitions of care. P Redmond, TC Grimes, R McDonnell, F Boland, C Hughes, T Fahey. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, issue 8. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010791.pub2
Quantifying patient preferences for symptomatic breast clinic referral: a decision analysis study. A Quinlan, KK O'Brien, R Galvin, C Hardy, R McDonnell, D Joyce, RD McDowell, E Aherne, C Keogh, K O'Sullivan, T Fahey. BMJ Open 8(5), e017286. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017286
2017
Development and implementation of a 'mental health finder' software tool within an electronic medical record system. D Swan, A Hannigan, S Higgins, R McDonnell, D Meagher, W Cullen. Irish Journal of Medical Science 186(1), 191–200.
2016
GPs' and community pharmacists' opinions on medication management at transitions of care in Ireland. P Redmond, H Carroll, T Grimes, R Galvin, R McDonnell, F Boland, R McDowell, C Hughes, T Fahey. Family Practice 33(2), 172–178. doi:10.1093/fampra/cmw006
Determining rates of smoking cessation advice delivered during hospitalisation and smoking cessation rates 3 months post discharge: a two-hospital survey. L Mellon, NG McElvaney, L Cormican, A Hickey, R Conroy, L Ekpotu, O Oghenejobo, S Atteih, R McDonnell, F Doyle. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine 4(1), 124–137. doi:10.1080/21642850.2016.1190278
Utility of electronic international register of clinical prediction rules relevant to primary care. A Zarabzadeh, R McDonnell, SP Berrios, J Dempsey, E Harrington, SM Smith, T Fahey. 2016 IEEE 29th International Symposium on Computer-Based Medical Systems (CBMS), 146–151.
Is hospitalisation associated with the unintentional discontinuation of appropriate long-term medication in the GP prescribing record post discharge? P Redmond, R McDowell, T Grimes, F Boland, A Zarabzadeh, R McDonnell, C Hughes, T Fahey. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety 25, 265–266.
2015
Smoking, attitudes to smoking and provision of smoking cessation advice in two teaching hospitals in Ireland: do smoke-free policies matter? A Ohakim, L Mellon, B Jafar, C O'Byrne, NG McElvaney, L Cormican, R McDonnell, F Doyle. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine 3(1), 142–153.
Prevalence of prescribing in pregnancy using the Irish Primary Care Research Network: a pilot study. P Dillon, KK O'Brien, R McDonnell, E Donnelly-Swift, R Galvin, A Roche, K Cronin, DR Walsh, R Schelten, S Smith. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 15(1), 67. doi:10.1186/s12884-015-0489-0
A multistep maturity model for the implementation of electronic and computable diagnostic clinical prediction rules (eCPRs). D Corrigan, R McDonnell, A Zarabzadeh, T Fahey. eGEMs 3(2), 1153. doi:10.13063/2327-9214.1153
Patient preferences for breast cancer referral: development and pilot study. E Aherne, K O'Brien, A Walsh, R McDonnell, R Galvin, T Fahey. BMC Proceedings 9(Suppl 7), A26. doi:10.1186/1753-6561-9-S7-A26
mHealth translation framework: behavioral design and development to improve self-management in chronic health conditions. J Dinsmore, R McDonnell. In mHealth Multidisciplinary Verticals, 181–198. CRC Press.
Development and implementation of a reporting function within electronic medical records. D Swan, A Hannigan, S Higgins, R McDonnell, D Meagher, W Cullen. University of Limerick.
The delivery of smoking cessation advice to hospitalised smokers: a two-hospital survey (P857). LL Mellon, NG McElvaney, L Cormican, A Hickey, H McGee, R Conroy, L Ekpotu, O Oghenjobu, R McDonnell. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology 22, S193.
2014
The delivery of smoking cessation advice to hospitalised smokers: a two-hospital survey. L Mellon, NG McElvaney, L Cormican, R Conroy, A Hickey, H McGee, R McDonnell, F Doyle. Irish Journal of Medical Science 183, S510.
2013
Addressing potentially inappropriate prescribing in older patients: development and pilot study of an intervention in primary care (the OPTI-SCRIPT study). B Clyne, MC Bradley, CM Hughes, D Clear, R McDonnell, D Williams, T Fahey, SM Smith. BMC Health Services Research 13(1), 307. doi:10.1186/1472-6963-13-307
Effectiveness of medicines review with web-based pharmaceutical treatment algorithms in reducing potentially inappropriate prescribing in older people in primary care: a cluster randomized trial (OPTI-SCRIPT study protocol). B Clyne, MC Bradley, SM Smith, CM Hughes, N Motterlini, D Clear, R McDonnell, D Williams, T Fahey. Trials 14(1), 72. doi:10.1186/1745-6215-14-72
Tackling transitions in patient care: the process of medication reconciliation. P Redmond, T Grimes, R McDonnell, F Boland, C Hughes, T Fahey. Family Practice 30(5), 483–484. doi:10.1093/fampra/cmt051
Interventions for improving medication reconciliation across transitions of care. P Redmond, TC Grimes, R McDonnell, F Boland, C Hughes, T Fahey. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010791
2012
Keeping connected in care: development of technology to stimulate social interaction among older people in care facilities. R McDonnell. Trinity College Dublin.
2010
Designing a touch screen communication device to support social interaction amongst older adults. J Doyle, Z Skrba, R McDonnell, B Arent. Proceedings of HCI 2010, 177–185. doi:10.14236/ewic/hci2010.23
Identifying requirements and features for communications systems between older people in care settings. R McDonnell, J Grimson. 2010 IEEE 23rd International Symposium on Computer-Based Medical Systems. doi:10.1109/CBMS.2010.6042626
Identifying requirements for communication systems in care settings. R McDonnell, J Grimson. IxDA Interaction Design Conference.