Dr Jonathan Peter Evans

I am a consultant shoulder and elbow surgeon and Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Exeter. My research focuses on measuring and improving recovery: understanding outcomes that matter to patients and generating evidence to improve surgical and rehabilitation care.

I combine clinical practice at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust with research in patient-reported outcomes, surgical effectiveness and health technology evaluation. My clinical work informs the questions I investigate, from how patients experience recovery to the benefits, limitations and long-term outcomes of treatment.

A central focus is patient-reported outcome measurement: understanding symptoms, function and quality of life directly from patients. My work includes evaluating outcome measures and investigating computerised adaptive testing, which selects questions according to an individual’s responses to make assessment more efficient. My developing research explores the adaptation of PROMIS measures for UK populations and their potential integration into routine clinical care.

My wider research includes clinical trials, evidence synthesis and registry-based studies in orthopaedics. I have contributed to research examining the longevity of hip, knee, shoulder and elbow replacements, with publications in The Lancet, The Lancet Rheumatology and Acta Orthopaedica. I also work on research evaluating personalised rehabilitation and treatment pathways.

I am Co-Theme Lead for Rehabilitation, Frailty & Dementia at the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre for Sustainable Innovation, working alongside Professor Helen Dawes. Through this role, I help develop and evaluate technologies intended to support recovery, independence and rehabilitation across hospital, community and home settings.

I completed my research doctorate at Exeter in 2018, examining study design and outcome assessment in elbow tendinopathy. I am an Associate Editor of PLOS Medicine and co-organised the eighth National Patient-Reported Outcome Measures Conference in Exeter in 2024.

I welcome collaborations connecting patient-centred measurement, rigorous clinical evaluation and practical improvements in NHS care.

My research brings together three connected themes.

Patient-centred outcome measurement

I investigate how patient-reported outcome measures can capture symptoms, function and quality of life accurately and efficiently. My interests include computerised adaptive testing, the cross-cultural adaptation of PROMIS measures for UK populations, and the interpretation of outcomes following surgical and non-surgical treatment. Developing work explores how repeated patient-reported assessments could support clinical decisions, monitor recovery and inform service evaluation.

Surgical effectiveness and musculoskeletal outcomes

I use clinical research, evidence synthesis and registry-based approaches to investigate treatment outcomes and inform decisions in orthopaedic care. Particular interests include shoulder and elbow conditions, joint replacement longevity, complications and the selection of meaningful research outcomes. Projects have included UK Biobank research into clinical and genetic associations with frozen shoulder, supported by the British Elbow and Shoulder Society in 2024; the HOT feasibility trial of hemiarthroplasty versus total elbow replacement for fractures; and research on core outcome sets and trial feasibility in elbow tendinopathy.

Rehabilitation and health technology evaluation

I am interested in how personalised rehabilitation and health technologies can improve recovery after injury and surgery. Through my HRC role, I help develop research involving digital rehabilitation, wearable and sensor-based technologies, and technologies addressing practical clinical needs. This work connects clinical evaluation with questions about usability, implementation and adoption within NHS pathways.

Current appointments

Senior Clinical Lecturer - University of Exeter

Consultant Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgeon — Shoulder and Elbow Surgery - Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust - 

Co-Theme Lead, Rehabilitation, Frailty & Dementia - NIHR HealthTech Research Centre for Sustainable Innovation

British Elbow and Shoulder Society Research Committee member 

Associate Editor PLOS Medicine

Lead Supervisor for the current National Joint Registry / Royal College of Surgeons research fellowship 

Qualifications

BSc (Hons), MB ChB, MSc, MD (Res), FRCS (Tr & Orth)

Contact me for

• Research collaboration in patient-reported outcomes, surgical effectiveness and rehabilitation.
• Health technology evaluation and clinical research consultancy.
• Postgraduate research supervision, including PhD and Master’s projects.
• Invited lectures, keynote presentations and panel chairing
• Editorial and peer-review activities.