Research study centre praise for South Devon
Published: 5 October 2015
Serving the best interests of patients has been hailed as the winning formula for the quickest and highest recruitment to a rheumatology research study by a team in South Devon.
The NIHR Clinical Research Network: South West Peninsula has praised the team at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust for being the top recruiter to the TITRATE study since it opened in January 2015. For consecutive months this summer, the Trust has been the best recruiter of patients who have a diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis and moderate disease activity; exceeding the target of 20 and now aims to recruit a further 10.
Clinic lists have been scrutinised in advance of patients coming in for their appointments and their medical records cross checked with the study inclusion criteria. Suitable candidates are then highlighted by a research nurse as being a potential participant for TITRATE.
Lead Rheumatology Nurse Chris Dixon said: “This trial is about offering an intensive management package and psychological care for our patients. The ultimate aim is to move patients to remission as quickly as possible to prevent them moving negatively along the illness trajectory.
“We would like to be able to offer this standard of care in routine clinical practice and we’re keen to take some of the learning when the trial finishes and try and implement this. We believe the winning formula is that it’s the right thing to offer our patients. We have three nurses trained to deliver an intensive management arm and patients and staff are enjoying this trial.
“You can see the change in front of you. The patients become more positive and are able to better self-manage their condition. They engage in change activities and both the practitioner and the patient share the joy when positive outcomes occur. The more you see the positive effect this trial can have on a patient, the more you want patients to enrol.”
TITRATE Trial Manager Dr Naomi Martin at King’s College London said: “We have been working with Dr Kirsten Mackay and her team – Chris Dixon, Elaine Wren, Diana Mill, Lorraine Richardson and Julie Easterbrook – since January. We have been very impressed by their recruitment rate, data quality, communication and responsiveness.
“The team has recruited at an extraordinary pace since initiation, reaching – and now exceeding – their recruitment target in less than six months. They are certainly our star centre and we are delighted that they have agreed to continue recruiting for the trial over the coming months.”
About the NIHR
The Clinical Research Network is part of the National Institute for Health Research, which is the research arm of the NHS. It is a national network that enables and embeds high quality research as core business across health and social care to make people and the NHS better. It does this by:
- Ensuring that as many people as possible across England have the opportunity to participate in research
- Providing researchers with the practical support they need to make clinical research studies happen in the NHS
- Ensuring the efficient and effective delivery of high quality clinical research across the health community
- Attracting national and international clinical research investment
- Providing a coordinated response to national research priorities
For more information visit www.nihr.ac.uk