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.

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. 

https://doi.org/10.1177/2055207619871148

 

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 

 

 

 

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”

 

The Pisces Study has now closed for recruitment (as of 31 December 2019).  The study recruited young adults (age 18 to 45 years) who were experiencing ongoing back pain.  Participants gave the study team permission to collect relevant follow up information from their health records, and filled in a short questionnaire about their back pain symptoms.  Sixteen patients from the Practice have been involved in the research - thank you to all who took part.

The Early Arthritis Study has now closed for recruitment.  We recruited 84 patients in total – thank you to everyone who has taken part.  Any participants who joined the study during 2019 will be followed up by post and should receive a brief study questionnaire about 12 months after they had their study blood test.

Research Online Magazine - Frontier South West

The National Institute for Health Research bi-annual publication FRONTIER magazine for the South West is now available for you to read, with information and stories from across the region.

Participating in research takes many forms and this issue has stories showing how patients, members of the public and organisations can get involved in high quality research that changes lives.

Read online: https://issuu.com/crnswp/docs/nhs_nihr_frontier_summer_2019_web 

In this issue:

• Taking part in a clinical trial was the “luckiest day of my life”
• Cornish man hopes to improve mental health treatments in the future by taking part in clinical research
• Regular crosswords and number puzzles linked to sharper brain in later life
• Somerset family take part in research looking to prevent lives lost to Type 1 diabetes
• Strides in local mental health research recognised nationally
• Taking part in health research comes highly recommended by patients in South West, survey shows
• Become a Patient Research Ambassador