Jane
“I wholeheartedly support clinical research. I wouldn’t be here enjoying an active life if it wasn’t for health research.”
Jane Owen, retired physiotherapist and Research Champion
We are here to help you find out about health and social care research that is taking place across the UK.
“I wholeheartedly support clinical research. I wouldn’t be here enjoying an active life if it wasn’t for health research.”
Jane Owen, retired physiotherapist and Research Champion
“Unless we try things out we’d never get to know what would work”.
Stephen Burgess, rare cancer trial participant.
“Harry was well looked after, carefully monitored, and we felt supported by the staff every step of the way.”
Stephanie George and Lee Murdoch whose newborn son Harry took part in a study.
Dry January is a month long alcohol free challenge. January is also a time for New Year's resolutions so why not make a resolution to find out more about the health issues affecting you and consider taking part in a research study at the same time? Find out about all the research studies you can take part in for alcohol, diet, exercise and improving wellbeing on this site.
Participating in research is not just about taking pills. Some research studies simply require you to complete a survey, attend a group with other patients, talk about something, try a new cream or treatment. There really is something for everyone.
A free online course entitled "Improving Healthcare Through Clinical Research" will start on 3 February. You will learn how medical treatments are discovered, tested and evaluated. The course is entirely online and so it can be completed at your convenience over 4 weeks.
"Having sex weekly may delay your menopause: Scientists say not getting enough action 'makes the body choose to stop ovulating'," reports the Mail Online on a study looking at nearly 3,000 women in the US.
"Miscarriage can lead to 'long-term post-traumatic stress'," reports BBC News.
Fatigue can be one of the most difficult symptoms to cope with for people with rheumatoid arthritis and this study found that group cognitive behavioural courses may help. This NIHR-funded study compared six weekly group sessions plus a booster session with a single brief one-to-one meeting. Both groups also received an educational booklet. It took place in seven UK hospitals and was co-delivered by pairs of trained rheumatology nurses and occupational therapists. The group sessions caused a small reduction in the impact of fatigue which was still evident after two years. The course was well-received by participants, with more than 80% expressing satisfaction with it and saying they would recommend it to others. Those members of the rheumatology team delivering the courses also found the additional training they had received beneficial in other areas of their practice. This is a promising intervention that could be more widely implemented to reduce the emotional and practical problems associated with fatigue.