About research
Research is important because it can help to improve healthcare by finding out which treatments work best.
Many of our patients are helping us with research projects but we want to include more people and give more of you an opportunity to contribute to improving care now and in the future.
Taking part in a clinical research study can be a rewarding experience. Please talk to your doctor or nurse if you would like to become involved in a research study and they will be happy to discuss this with you.
Involvement in research can involve different amounts of your time – anything from simply giving us permission to use information already collected about you to attending hospital for additional tests or investigations.
You can be assured that any research you take part in here has been approved by the research and development department and has all of the necessary regulatory approvals. Before taking part in a research project you will be asked for your full informed consent before any research related activities are carried out*. You are always free to withdraw from a research project without your care being affected. For more information about how patient information is used in research visit https://www.hra.nhs.uk/information-about-patients/
There’s a really useful website with lots of videos from patients and staff explaining everything you need to know about research and taking part in research studies. Visit the Health talk website here and select a topic from the left hand menu to find out more
Have a look below at some of the areas where we are currently running research studies.
| Specialist area | Research studies we’re involved in |
|---|---|
| Accident and emergency | Head injuries |
| Cancer | Breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, haematology, lymphoma, urology, timing of surgery |
| Cardiology | Cardiovascular events prevention trial, drug safety evaluation, angina |
| Dermatology | Psoriasis treatment |
| Diabetes | Foot infection, high risk type 1 cohorts, family history of the development of type 1 diabetes |
| Gastroenterology | Colorectal adenomas, inflammatory bowel disease, premalignant intestinal neoplasia, Barratt’s oesophagus, polyps/adenoma removal |
| Gynaecology | Treatments for fibroids, operative options for uterine prolapse and vault prolapse |
| Haematology (non-cancer) | Intracranial haemorrhage |
| Hepatology | Effects of genetics on responses to drugs, genetic studies in cirrhosis, chronic liver disease |
| Neonatology | Platelet transfusion, respiratory failure in premature babies, benefits of oxygen saturation, iodide supplementation, effective perinatal intensive care, assisted ventilation, increasing milk feeds |
| Obstetrics | Assisted reproduction, miscarriage, medication use in pregnancy, pre-eclampsia, tumours in pregnancy |
| Orthopaedics | Total or partial knee anthroplasty |
| Paediatrics | Asthma, epilepsy treatment, antibiotic therapy, genetics |
| Palliative care | Carers diary |
| Podiatry | Intervention for fall victims |
| Respiratory medicine | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, bronchiectasis |
| Rheumatology | Treatment for sclerosis |
| Stroke | Arm function after stroke, cognition and stroke, microbleeds in stroke, drug therapy and intracerebral haemorrhage, ischaemic stroke |
| Surgery | Haemorrhoid treatment, post-operative drugs following bowel surgery, access options for laparoscopic colorectal surgery |
| Urology | Peri-operative chemotherapy versus surveillance in upper tract urothelial cancer |
For more information about research for patients, carers and the public, please visit www.crn.nihr.ac.uk/can-help/patients-carers-public/
If you are considering getting involved in research and would like to find out more, please visit www.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/find-out-more-about-research.htm
*In some circumstances (research relating to emergency procedures) this may not be possible and a relative/carer/other health professional may give consent on your behalf but your full consent will be gained as soon you are able to do so.