New online course: What is health research? Starts 11 November

Sign up to this free course, where, over the course of three weeks, you can learn about different types of research. Find out what questions to ask, what to expect when you volunteer and hear stories from people who've taken part and what they've gained from their experience.

Men's health research in Movember

Do something worthwhile to support this men's health campaign by taking part in research. Find studies on this site focussed on prostate cancer, testicular cancer and male health. You can also search for studies for mental health and specific health conditions and then filter accordingly.

World diabetes day

Patients, in theory, might prefer GP-led care to self-management for high blood pressure

Patients offered the pros and cons of different monitoring options appear reluctant to self-manage high blood pressure, and prefer frequent monitoring by a GP, pharmacist or via telehealth (where readings are sent to health professionals and medicines managed remotely). The small online survey, completed by 167 patients, was used to explore how patients might feel about moving away from GP-led care to other care models not currently routinely offered in the UK. Perhaps surprisingly, patients, in general, preferred GP management and were less comfortable with the idea of self-management. Respondents were also more likely to engage with the options offered if they were told that controlling blood pressure could have a large effect on their risk of a future heart attack or stroke. Those recruited were predominantly white and well-educated and preferred monitoring every one to three months rather than every six months or annually. Although the sample size of this NIHR-funded survey was small, it produced statistically significant results regarding a preference for GP-led care over self-management.

Planned earlier delivery for late pre-eclampsia may be better for mothers

If pregnant women develop late pre-eclampsia, after 34 but before 37 weeks of gestation, then planning to deliver their babies within 48 hours of the diagnosis reduces the risk of problems to the mother. This is compared with waiting until 37 weeks or delivering earlier if other problems arise (“expectant management”). However, this benefit needs to be offset against an increased likelihood of the baby being admitted to the neonatal unit. This trial found that in women with late preterm pre-eclampsia, planned delivery reduces the chance of complications such as hypertension for the mother (65% versus 75% in the expectant management group). Whiletheir babies are more likely (42% versus 34%) to be admitted to the neonatal unit, there was not a significantly greater risk of morbidity. The results of this study of 900 women will aid the decision-making process for women with late pre-eclampsia and the healthcare professionals involved in their care.

A workplace voucher reward scheme failed to boost physical activity

Staff enrolled on a workplace reward scheme to encourage them to become more physically active took fewer steps per day than their colleagues in the control group after six months. Employees at two public sector organisations in Northern Ireland took part in the Physical Activity Loyalty scheme, which worked in a similar way to a high street loyalty card. Their activity levels during the workday were monitored using key fobs and remote sensors. The participants were rewarded for physical activity with loyalty points that could be redeemed for vouchers for some local shops. Despite not boosting their physical activity levels, those who took part in the scheme had slightly better self-reported ratings of wellbeing at the end of the intervention. The evidence for workplace schemes generally is mixed, and these results partly add to our knowledge. It is unclear from this research how great the rewards were. More effective incentive schemes will be needed to affect physical activity.