Research is vital to ensure health and care constantly improve. If there was no research, there would be no new diagnostics or treatments, no new ways to eliminate pain and suffering, and no new ways to prevent disease.
Health and care research aims to identify answers and find out what the best options are for our health. This helps those within healthcare to make informed decisions about improvements or changes. The goals of health and care research are to:
- diagnose diseases earlier or more accurately
- provide life-changing treatments
- prevent people from developing conditions
- improve health and care for generations to come
- ensure everyone has a better quality of life
Although health professionals already know a great deal, there are still so many questions that need answers. Sometimes, the outcome of research just confirms that what we have at the moment is the best available to us right now. It also allows health and care professionals to make the best choice when different treatments are available.
Research is only possible if patients and healthy volunteers are willing to take part. Some people may find the idea of taking part in research quite daunting. But it can be incredibly rewarding to be able to contribute to the health of others.
To make a decision about whether to take part in research, you need to have all the facts. Here we look at some of the common myths around health and care research, and the reality behind them.
Research is dangerous, as it involves new and risky drugs or practices
All health and care research has to go through very strict ethical and regulatory checks before it can go ahead. Any research carried out in the UK is highly regulated and controlled. This is to protect participants and ensure those involved are treated with respect at all times.
Some research involves taking a new medicine or having a new form of treatment. Other studies might require something as simple as filling out a questionnaire or leaving a sample.
All participants are very closely monitored while they are taking part in research. So although health and care research is not entirely risk-free, the chances of something going wrong are small.
If I take part in research, I won’t get the treatment I need
Caring for you is the priority of any healthcare professional - your health comes first. So if you decide to take part in research, you will still receive the same standard of care you normally would. But if the research involves the testing of a new treatment, you may be given this as well.
People who take part in trials often say that they feel very well looked after. They are usually monitored more closely than would be the case under standard care.
All health and care research takes place in hospitals
Health and care research can take place in many different locations. These include schools, GP surgeries or care homes depending on the type of research. It is increasingly common for research to take place outside of hospitals, at GP practices for example. Advances in digital technology means there are now more ways to get involved in research from the comfort of your own home.
Health and care research is about testing new drugs
Not all health and care research involves taking drugs. Research can also involve testing a new device to help monitor or administer a medicine. Or it might look at whether certain changes in diet and lifestyle could help improve people’s health.
Some research might simply involve talking to someone, completing a short questionnaire or even using an app on a mobile device. Research can also look at different ways of delivering health and social care.
There are also many different ways to be involved in research without being a participant in a research study.
People taking part in research are being used as ‘guinea pigs’
In research that involves new medicines, the drugs are not tested on people first. Before this happens, they will have gone through a process to ensure they are ready for use with people. With any drug study, an extra level of approval is needed from the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Whatever the type of research, anyone who is involved in a study should be treated with respect. The research is not being done ‘to them’: it is being delivered ‘with them’.
People who choose to participate in research say that they feel well cared for. They are also able to contact the research team with any questions or concerns.
Research teams must also follow ethical guidance and before the research can take place from a Research Ethics Committee.
If you agree to be in a trial, you can’t change your mind
It’s always your choice whether to take part in a study and you can always change your mind at any time. Before you make the decision whether to take part or not, the researchers will speak to you about it, to ensure you fully understand what’s involved.
Studies can run for several years. It's only natural that during that time, people’s circumstances may change to make it difficult to continue taking part. That’s why every trial must always allow for participants to change their minds.
Health and care research is about finding cures for diseases
Health and care research looks at how to prevent diseases and improve our quality of life and wellbeing, as well as how to cure diseases.
It’s worth knowing that there are a range of factors that can contribute to your health. For example, where you live, what you eat and whether you have a good support network of family and friends. Public health research seeks to answer questions about some of these factors.
Research can lead to improvements in end-of-life care across all diseases. This helps patients to live in comfort and die with dignity.
No research is done for mental health, only physical diseases or conditions
It is well known that people’s health is not limited to physical disease - it includes their mental well-being also. This is why the NIHR funds research looking at both our mental and physical health and combinations of the two. For example, seeing whether medicine or counselling is the best treatment for people with depression.
Due to increased awareness of the effects our mental health can have on physical well-being, this is likely to be a growing area of research. Read about all the research happening within the NIHR specialty for mental health.
Research is only done with adults, not children or older people
Children can take part in health and care research with the permission of their legal guardian. The research team may meet with the child to make sure they understand what the research is about. They may use pictures to explain the study.
Children are not ‘small adults’ – so treatments that work on adults can’t always simply be scaled down to work in children. This means research in child health is vital to help find new and better ways to care for children. You can find studies for children by typing "children" in the search box at the very top of this page.
Including older people in research is also a key aim of the NIHR. This is to ensure that the research is applicable to the groups of patients and the public who would benefit the most.
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You won’t be in control of any data that’s collected about you
When you sign up for a health study, the researchers will provide details of what will happen to any data they collect about you. This is to ensure you’re happy with how it's used.
Data collected during health and care studies is ‘anonymised’. This means it is no longer linked to your name, only to details about you such as your age, gender, or ethnicity. This data would, if the study allows, only be shared between researchers without any risk to your privacy or confidentiality.
Research also has to go through ethical approvals, which will assess the use of patient data. It must also comply with the laws and regulations on privacy and confidentiality.
Health and care research only benefits the drug companies
Health research is funded by different people - including drug companies, charities and the government. However when the NHS undertakes research specifically for drug companies, the company pays the full cost.
Everyone benefits from the development of new medicines. Without commercial drug companies there would be less research taking place.
Last year more than 1.3 million people, of all ages, took part in vital health and social care research. Through high-quality, ethical research, we can develop better treatments and diagnostics, and prevent people from getting ill in the first place. This leads to better health for everyone.
Research only takes place in major cities and hospitals
It is important that research opportunities are available in the communities with the greatest needs.
The NIHR is committed to ensuring that research is truly inclusive. We want to ensure that communities traditionally under-served by research have equal opportunity to take part.
More and more studies are now delivered outside of major cities and hospitals - including opportunities to take part remotely. This is an area which is expected to continually improve. The ambition is to extend research across all regions and their communities.
How you can get involved with research
Sign up to Be Part of Research to be contacted about a range of health and care research. Or check out our full list of studies to see if one is right for you.
And if taking part in a study doesn’t feel right at the moment there are other ways to get involved in research.
