Mrs Rachel Court MCLIP MA

Mrs Rachel Court

Health Services Management Centre
Senior Information Specialist

Contact details

Address
Park House
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Rachel is an information specialist at the Centre for Evidence and Implementation Science. She develops searches for a range of evidence synthesis projects in health and social care. 

Qualifications

Chartered member, Chartered Institute for Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), 2002

MA Information Studies, University of Brighton, 2000

Biography

From 2001 to 2002, Rachel worked at the Open University Library as an Assistant Librarian (and latterly as a Subject Information Specialist) for the Science, Health and Social Welfare team.

Rachel joined Warwick Medical School in 2003 as lead information specialist for two web-based collections, 'NHS Evidence - emergency & urgent care' and 'NHS Evidence - diabetes'.

In April 2011, Rachel moved to Warwick Evidence (a team specialising in technology appraisal reviews and evidence syntheses). After gaining several years’ experience, she took on a more senior role. In January 2025, the team moved to the University of Birmingham. In this role, Rachel manages two other information specialists and develops searches to identify a range of evidence types (e.g. clinical and social care evidence, cost-effectiveness evaluations, quality of life data). Rachel has also gained experience of screening, quality appraisal and data extraction.

In addition to her core work, Rachel has worked on a variety of other reviews in collaboration with other organisations (including reviews of complex interventions, reviews of qualitative research, realist reviews and rapid reviews). In 2016, she chaired the InterTASC Information Specialists Sub Group (ISSG).

Research

Rachel's main research interests are in information retrieval and study identification methodology and tools, particularly in relation to health technology assessment, systematic reviews and other types of evidence synthesis.

 

A selection of current and recent projects can be found via her ORCID record: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4567-2586

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Freeman, K, Taylor, D, Dinnes, J, Clark, CCA, Kander, I, Scandrett, K, Chockalingam, S, Dracup, N, Court, R, Butt, F, Visintin, C, Bonham, JR, Elliman, D, Shortland, G, Mackie, A, Miedzybrodzka, Z, Morgan, S, Boardman, F, Takwoingi, Y, Shinkins, B, Clarke, A & Taylor-Phillips, S 2025, 'Challenges in the evaluation of whole genome sequencing for newborn screening: series of systematic reviews and roadmap for evidence generation for policy advisers', BMJ Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1136/ bmjmed-2025-001726

Macgregor, B, Leach, H, Court, R, Grove, A, Heazell, AE, Hillman, S & Staniszewska, S 2025, 'Determining the key elements of community-based care for women and partners following a stillbirth or second trimester miscarriage: Protocol for a realist synthesis', BMJ open, vol. 15, no. 5, e093581. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-093581

Freeman, K, Dinnes, J, Shinkins, B, Clark, C, Kander, I, Scandrett, K, Chockalingam, S, Osman, A, Dracup, N, Court, R, Butt, F, Visintin, C, Bonham, JR, Elliman, D, Shortland, G, Mackie, A, Miedzybrodzka, Z, Morgan, SM, Boardman, F, Takwoingi, Y & Taylor-Phillips, S 2025, 'Evaluating whole genome sequencing for rare diseases in newborn screening: evidence synthesis from a series of systematic reviews', Health Technology Assessment.

Scandrett, K, Colquitt, JL, Court, R, Whiter, F, Shinkins, B, Takwoingi, Y, Loveman, E, Todkill, D, Gill, P, Lasserson, D, Al-Khudairy, L, Grove, A & Chen, Y-F 2025, 'Rapid tests to inform triage and antibiotic prescribing decisions for adults presenting with suspected acute respiratory infection: a rapid evidence synthesis of clinical effectiveness and cost–utility studies', Health Technology Assessment, vol. 29, no. 13. https://doi.org/10.3310/KHGP7129

Rees, K, Takeda, A, Court, R, Kudrna, L, Hartley, L & Ernst, E 2024, 'Meditation for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (Review)', Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, vol. 2024, no. 2, CD013358. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD013358.pub2

Gauly, J, Court, R, Seers, K, Currie, G & Grove, A 2023, 'In which context and for whom can interventions improve leadership of surgical trainees, surgeons and surgical teams and why: a realist review protocol [version 1; peer review: 3 approved, 1 approved with reservations]', NIHR Open Research, vol. 3, 16. https://doi.org/10.3310/nihropenres.13364.1

Al-Khudairy, L, Ayorinde, A, Ghosh, I, Grove, A, Harlock, J, Meehan, E, Briggs, A, Court, R & Clarke, A 2022, 'Evidence and methods required to evaluate the impact for patients who use social prescribing: a rapid systematic review and qualitative interviews', Health and Social Care Delivery Research, vol. 10, no. 29. https://doi.org/10.3310/RMJH0230

Elfeky, A, Chen, YF, Grove, A, Hooper, A, Wilson, A, Couper, K, Thompson, M, Uthman, O, Court, R, Tomassini, S & Yeung, J 2022, 'Perioperative oxygen therapy: a protocol for an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses', Systematic Reviews, vol. 11, no. 1, 140. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-022-02005-3

Stinton, C, Jordan, M, Fraser, H, Auguste, P, Court, R, Al-Khudairy, L, Madan, J, Grammatopoulos, D & Taylor-Phillips, S 2021, 'Testing strategies for lynch syndrome in people with endometrial cancer: Systematic reviews and economic evaluation', Health Technology Assessment, vol. 25, no. 42. https://doi.org/10.3310/HTA25420

Uthman, OA, Al-Khudairy, L, Nduka, CU, Court, R, Mistry, H, Melendez-Torres, GJ, Taylor-Phillips, S & Clarke, A 2020, 'Determining optimal strategies for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: Systematic review, cost-effectiveness review and network meta-analysis protocol', Systematic Reviews, vol. 9, no. 1, 105. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-020-01366-x

Ignatowicz, A, Atherton, H, Bernstein, CJ, Bryce, C, Court, R, Sturt, J & Griffiths, F 2019, 'Internet videoconferencing for patient-clinician consultations in long-term conditions: a review of reviews and applications in line with guidelines and recommendations.', Digital Health , vol. 5, pp. 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/2055207619845831

Review article

Asgharzadeh, A, Patel, M, Connock, M, Damery, S, Ghosh, I, Jordan, M, Freeman, K, Brown, A, Court, R, Baldwin, S, Ogunlayi, F, Stinton, C, Cummins, E & Al-Khudairy, L 2024, 'Hybrid closed-loop systems for managing blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetes: a systematic review and economic modelling', Health technology assessment (Winchester, England), vol. 28, no. 80, pp. 1-190. https://doi.org/10.3310/JYPL3536

Gauly, J, Court, R, Currie, G, Seers, K, Clarke, A, Metcalfe, A, Wilson, A, Hazell, M & Grove, A 2023, 'Advancing leadership in surgery: a realist review of interventions and strategies to promote evidence-based leadership in healthcare', Implementation Science, vol. 18, no. 1, 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-023-01274-3

Grove, A, Osokogu, O, Al-Khudairy, L, Mehrabian, A, Zanganeh, M, Brown, A, Court, R, Taylor-Phillips, S, Uthman, OA, McCarthy, N, Kumar, S & Clarke, A 2021, 'Association between vitamin D supplementation or serum vitamin D level and susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 including clinical course, morbidity and mortality outcomes? A systematic review', BMJ open, vol. 11, no. 5, e043737. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043737

Stinton, C, Fraser, H, Al-Khudairy, L, Court, R, Jordan, M, Grammatopoulos, D & Taylor-Phillips, S 2021, 'Testing for lynch syndrome in people with endometrial cancer using immunohistochemistry and microsatellite instability-based testing strategies: A systematic review of test accuracy', Gynecologic oncology, vol. 160, no. 1, pp. 148-160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygyno.2020.10.003