Friday, September 25, 2020

Welcome!

Many of you may not be aware that The Coleridge Medical Centre is a member of the South West Clinical Research network  (https://www.nihr.ac.uk/nihr-in-your-area/south-west-peninsula/).

In medicine, we are constantly striving to find the most effective treatments for common conditions and research is a key factor that helps to provide this knowledge.  As a practice, we take great care to select studies that we feel will help us treat our patients better.  We feel it is a great opportunity for you as patients to take part in studies that directly benefit you and/or generally improve treatment in primary care.  

From time to time, you may be invited to take part in one of these studies.  There is no obligation to take part and, if you decline, it will not affect your treatment in any way. 

Thursday, September 24, 2020

PRINCIPLE Study



Our practice is supporting vital COVID-19 research. As part of this, we are helping to carry out a national priority research study called PRINCIPLE.  

The PRINCIPLE trial aims to find treatments that reduce hospital admission and improve symptoms for people with COVID-19.

You could be eligible to join if:
  • You have had these symptoms for fewer than 15 days:
    • new continuous cough or
    • high temperature or
    • a loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell
       
  • OR have had a positive test for SARS-Co-V2 infection with COVID-19 symptoms in the past 14 days
AND
  • You are aged 50 to 64 with a pre-existing illness OR
  • You are aged 65 and above 


If you would like to know more about COVID-19 research and how you can contribute, please visit www.bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk which is run by the National Institute for Health Research.

PRINCIPLE Trial Poster

 




Friday, August 28, 2020

GLAD Study – Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression


The GLAD Study is a project set up to explore risk factors in individuals who have experienced depression and/or anxiety, including those with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, OCD or related disorders, at any time in their lives.

The study aims to better understand depression and anxiety in order to find and develop more effective treatments.  You may be eligible to take part if you are:
  • Aged 16+
  • Living in the UK
  • Experiencing clinical levels of depression and/or anxiety
  • Or have experienced these in the past

Find out more by going to www.gladstudy.org.uk

You can take part in the GLAD Study by following the sign-up steps – they are designed to be easy to complete:
  1. Register on the GLAD website and read the information sheet
  2. Provide your consent to take part using the online form
  3. Complete an online questionnaire to see if you are eligible (takes about 30 minutes)
  4. Send a saliva DNA sample through the post, using a freepost envelope – please note: this element is currently paused due to the Covid-19 situation
Once you have completed the above steps, you will be able to see information on the website about a number of optional questionnaires or other research studies that are being carried out.

If you are interested in joining the GLAD Study but have more questions, visit the FAQ page at www.gladstudy.org.uk/faqs

Alternatively, you can contact the study team via: 
  • Email: gladstudy@kcl.ac.uk 
  • Freephone: 0800 634 4504
  • Telephone: 0207 848 1638

Friday, August 14, 2020

COVID-19 Vaccine Research Registry


The National Institute for Health Research has launched an NHS COVID-19 Vaccine research registry.  This will help people across the UK sign up for information on the new COVID-19 vaccine studies taking place in their area.

If you would like to find out more about UK coronavirus vaccine research in your area, please visit the website at:




Friday, July 31, 2020

Interested in finding out more about research?


Are you interested in finding out more about the health and social care research that is taking place across the UK?
Would you like to take part in an online study?

For more information, please visit the NIHR ‘Be Part of Research’ website at:  







Friday, July 10, 2020

Join Dementia Research

Dementia affects more than 850,000 people in the UK, and over 25 million people in the UK have a friend or family member with dementia.

Dementia research offers some hope. It can help people living with the condition now, as well as helping to prevent people from developing dementia in the future.  But for research to progress, researchers need more people to volunteer to take part in more studies.

This is why Join Dementia Research has been set up.  It is a service which allows people to register their interest in taking part in dementia research and be matched to suitable studies.

If you would like to help research teams across the UK who are working to improve our understanding about the condition, develop effective treatments, improve care and maybe one day find a cure, you can sign up to Join Dementia Research at:


Anyone over the age of 18 can sign up, including people with dementia or memory problems, carers for people with dementia or memory problems, and anyone else who is interested in supporting dementia research.

By signing up, you will be able to:

  •          Find out more about studies you might be able to take part in;
  •          Connect with researchers to show an interest in their studies;
  •          Help to improve dementia care and treatment.

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Results of the ATAFUTI Study


This practice supported a research study called ATAFUTI in 2016. The study was investigating alternative treatments for urinary tract infections (UTI) in adult women. 
The results of the study have now been published, based on a total of 382 adult women, aged 18 to 75, who participated (of which eight women were recruited from this practice). 
Participants were randomly allocated to take a five day course of either a herbal product (Uva ursi extract) or a placebo.  In addition, some participants were advised by their GP to take ibuprofen to help with their symptoms, while others were not.  Participants were also given a ‘just in case’ prescription for antibiotics which they were asked to delay using for 3-5 days, unless their symptoms worsened.  The women kept a diary of their symptoms for 14 days (or until their symptoms subsided) and the study team monitored whether or not study participants had to see their GP with a UTI again in the following three months.
Summary of ATAFUTI findings
The study found there was no difference in symptom severity between the study treatment groups and no difference in the duration of moderately bad symptoms.  Overall, less than half of the women took their ‘just in case’ antibiotics during the first two weeks.  No episodes of serious urinary tract infections were recorded.
Although the study could not demonstrate any significant effect on symptom severity or time to recovery for women allocated to either treatment, GP advice to take ibuprofen resulted in a significant reduction in short term antibiotic use compared to no such advice.
A full report on the study can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2019.01.011.

Tuesday, February 18, 2020


EFFIP COPe-Support Study
 
This study closed for recruitment on 14 February 2020.  If you are interested in reading about earlier phases of this research, please follow the links to articles published by the EFFIP Team:
 
 
Sin J, Woodham LA, Henderson C, Williams E, Sesé Hernández A, & Gillard, S. (2019). Usability evaluation of an eHealth intervention for family carers of individuals affected by psychosis: A mixed-method study. Digital Health. 5:1-18. 
 

Sin J., Henderson C., Spain D., Cornelius V., Chen T. & Gillard S. (2018) eHealth interventions for family carers of people with long term illness - A promising approach? Clinical Psychology Review. 60: 109-125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2018.01.008 
 
 
 

Monday, January 6, 2020


ContactME-IBS

This project is inviting people who experience symptoms of a common condition known as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) to join an IBS Research Register.  Symptoms of IBS include constipation, diarrhoea (or both), stomach discomfort and bloating.  The organisers hope that IBS research will help them to better understand the condition as well as develop and assess new treatments.  The register would hold the contact information of adults interested in hearing about and taking part in future IBS research.  People who register would be matched to any relevant research as it becomes available and would be contacted to see if they would like to take part in a study.  The organisers would not share their information with other research teams or organisations, and individuals are free to remove their details from the register at any time.  More information is available online at: https://www.contactme-ibs.co.uk/ or from leaflets available in our waiting area/foyer.

Patient views on taking part in research

 
Every year, we conduct a postal survey of all our patients who have joined a research study through this Practice.  Below is a selection of comments made by some of our survey respondents (August 2019) about their views on the benefits of getting involved in their research study:
 
Early Arthritis
Study
“I know I have arthritis but it was good to know that I do not have rheumatoid arthritis"
 
“It couldn't have been done better.  The person I saw who explained it all was excellent”
 
“It was less work than I expected”
 
“Encouraged me to find out about arthritis and pay attention to my general health”
 
“I am willing to take part in any relevant research projects … I feel it is important to take part in these studies for the benefit of those who need treatment in years to come”
 
Renewed
Online
Study
“Reassurance that research is being carried out looking at the after care of post cancer treatment patients”
 
“The study website carried some useful info online”
 
“Just glad to be involved and help wherever I can”
 
“A wellbeing and confidence that these studies are looking to improve things”
 
“Cancer requires as much research as possible. I have no objection providing anything that can be of use”
 
 
Improving Clinical Care in Diabetes Study
(ICCD)
 
“I am always pleased to contribute to medical research”
 
“This was the first study I did, so I am hoping it will help me and others to cope with our conditions”
 
“All very good”
 
“It's great to have the opportunity to take part in research”
 
“I am sure it will be extremely useful for future patients in years to come”