"For anyone considering the fellowship, go for it; it’s a brilliant opportunity!"

Carys Davies, Critical Care Dietitian 

Carys Davies, a critical care dietitian, carried out her pre-doctoral research fellowship between October 2023 and October 2024, looking at how well patients in ICU receive the nutrition they need after a serious injury.

It found that many of these patients don’t always get enough nutrition through the feeding methods used in hospital, which can affect how well and how quickly they recover.

Her findings showed that:

• Most trauma patients in ICU need to be fed through a tube using what's called enteral nutrition.
• Many of these patients aren’t getting enough nutrition during their time in ICU.
• Men with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and patients who are more seriously ill when they arrive in intensive care are more likely to face challenges with getting the nutrition they need.
• When patients don’t get the nutrition they need, their recovery can take longer and may be more complicated.

“This research helps us understand a really important part of ICU care that often goes unnoticed,” said Carys. “By learning more about what gets in the way of good nutrition, we can start to find better ways to support patients when they need it most.”

"For anyone considering the fellowship, go for it; it’s a brilliant opportunity! In clinical roles, quality improvement projects are often undertaken alongside demanding patient care.

"This fellowship provides the space and support to complete a project from design to dissemination. It also offers formal training in key methodologies, meaningful patient involvement, and skills such as communication and networking."

Carys is now on a secondment working as a critical care research dietitian on an NIHR-funded trial at Bart’s Health NHS Trust. She is starting her NIHR-funded doctoral fellowship in September 2026.