Dr Colin McCowan

Dr Colin McCowanColin McCowan is a Lecturer in Health Informatics at the University of Dundee and is also Deputy Director of the Health Informatics Centre. He has worked within the Medical School at the University of Dundee since 1993, after obtaining a degree in Computer Science in 1992.  He won an MRC Fellowship in 1993 and was awarded a Masters degree in Health Services Research (2004) at the University of Aberdeen and a PhD in Health Services Research (2009) at Dundee.  His research centres on the use of routine data to answer important clinical questions and he has worked in breast cancer, prescribing in the elderly and methadone management, amongst other areas.  He also has an interest in the use of Clinical Prediction Rules.

Selected Publications
Barnett K, McCowan C, Evans JMM, Gillespie ND, Davey PG, Fahey T.  Prevalence and outcomes of potentially inappropriate medicines use in the elderly: cohort study stratified by residence in nursing home or in the community.  Quality & Safety in Healthcare (in press)

McCowan C, Donnan PT, Dewar JA, Thompson AM, Fahey T P. Identifying suspected breast cancer: development and validation of a clinical prediction rule.  Br J Gen Prac 2010 (in press).

Guthrie B, Clark SA, McCowan C The burden of psychotropic drug prescribing in people with dementia: a population database study.  Age and Aging 2010 doi: 10.1093/ageing/afq090.

Baker L, Quinlan PR, Patten N, Ashfield A, Lea-Jane Birse-Stewart-Bell L, McCowan C, Bourdon JC, Purdie C, Jordan L, Dewar JA, Wu L, Thompson AM. p53 mutation, deprivation and poor prognosis in primary breast cancer.  BJC (26 January 2010) doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6605540.

Olde Bekkink M, McCowan C, Falk G, Teljeur C, Van de Laar F,  Fahey T. Diagnostic accuracy systematic review of rectal bleeding in combination with other symptoms, signs and tests in relation to colorectal cancer. BJC 2009 102 48-58.

McCowan C, Kidd B, Fahey TP. Methadone maintenance treatment in primary care and its influence on mortality: a cohort study. BMJ 2009;338:b2225, doi: 10.1136/bmj.b2225.

Windsor PM, Potter J, McAdam K, McCowan C. Evaluation of a Fatigue Initiative: Information on Exercise for Patients Receiving Cancer Treatment. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol). 2009 Feb 24.

McCowan C, Shearer J, Donnan PT, Dewar JA, Crilly M, Thompson AM, Fahey T P. Cohort study examining tamoxifen adherence and its relationship to mortality in women with breast cancer. BJC 2008 99 1763-68.

Fahey T, Jeyaseelan S, McCowan C, et al.  Diagnosis of left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD): development and validation of a clinical prediction rule in primary care.  Family Practice 2007 24(6): 628-635.

McCowan C, Hoskins G, Neville RG. Clinical symptoms and ‘off-label’ prescribing in children with asthma. Br J Gen Prac 2007 57 220-223.

McCowan C, Neville RG, Ricketts IW, Warner FC, Hoskins G, Thomas GE.  Lessons from a randomised controlled trial designed to evaluate computer decision support software to improve the management of asthma.  Medical Informatics and the Internet in Medicine 2001 Vol 26 No 3 191-201.

McCowan C, Neville R G, Thomas G E, Crombie I K, Clark R A, Ricketts I W, Cairns A Y, Warner F C, Greene S A, White E.  Effect of asthma and its treatment on growth : four year follow up of cohort of children from general practices in Tayside, Scotland.  BMJ 1998 316 668-72