Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals (NMAHP) Group

Who we are

Our Centre for Trials Research NMAHP Group represents experienced researchers who also have a clinical background. These include nurses, midwives, physiotherapists and clinical psychologists. The group have a range of roles including research nurses and nurse/midwife/AHP researchers who develop and lead their own areas of research in CTR.

Our strategy

To promote excellence in health and social care research through harnessing clinical expertise and engagement in effective interdisciplinary collaboration to develop and deliver high quality, person-centred, inclusive research.

What we do

Members of the NMAHP Group include researchers with an interest in patient experiences and trials methodology research, and research nurses who support the design and delivery of trials. Embedding NMAHPs in the Centre enables us to play a key role in ensuring trials are accessible, feasible, and designed in a way that matters to those intended to benefit.

CTR Research Nurse key roles and responsibilities

Our roles and responsibilities include:

designing and developing protocols
reviewing and contributing to study related documentation
developing guidelines for site feasibility
designing and conducting site training
setting up and initiating study sites
recruiting participants, delivering interventions and collecting data
acting as main contact for clinical queries between sites and study participants
monitoring participant well-being/safety and reviewing clinical adverse events
co-ordinating peer learning between study site teams
leading and contributing to publications
presenting and disseminating study results

Examples of successful studies supported by CTR Research Nurses

PRINCESS

The PRINCESS (Probiotics to Reduce Infections iN CarE home reSidentS) trial was a double-blind placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of probiotics in reducing antibiotics for infection in care home residents. Key challenges of this trial related to the setting (non-NHS, research naïve) and the trial population (where many participants had additional issues around consent). CTR research nurses played a key role in building relationships between different organisations and groups as well as developing research skills of care home staff to build research capacity in this setting and sharing methodological learning about recruiting residents who lack capacity in a clinical trial.

Read more about PRINCESS

PriMUS

The PriMUS study (Primary care Management of lower Urinary tract Symptoms in men) is a prospective diagnostic accuracy study in men who present to their GP with lower urinary tract symptoms. Key challenges: the reference test in this study was a urodynamic procedure which is usually undertaken in a hospital setting by health professionals trained in this specialised technique. Key successes: research nurses were trained to perform urodynamic assessments and successfully and safely undertook this role within their local GP surgeries throughout England and Wales as part of the study, meaning that the research was taken to the patient rather than the patient having to go to the research.

Read more about PriMUS

PANORAMIC

PANORAMIC is an adaptive platform clinical trial of novel antivirals (versus usual care) for COVID-19 in the community across 60 sites in the UK. PANORAMIC is an innovation in study delivery all participant activities are conducted remotely and being a platform trial allows for the testing of several antiviral treatments over time with the aim of reducing people's symptoms of COVID-19 more quickly and thus preventing admission to hospital.

Key challenges: Large number of participants recruited over a short period of time. Trial management leadership working with multiple organisations during an ever-changing landscape. Key successes: One Site Wales approach – collaborative working with Health and Care Research Wales (HCRW), Public Health Wales (PHW), Division of Population Medicine, GPs throughout Wales. CTR clinical and admin study team co-ordinated the safety follow-up calls 3- and 6- month follow-up questionnaires, answering any patient queries.

Read more about PANORAMIC

LISTEN

The LISTEN study is evaluating a co-designed personalised self-management support intervention for long COVID. CTR research nurses are involved in delivering the intervention which is delivered remotely over six online sessions with the use of a discovery and recovery handbook co-designed with people living with long COVID. Key challenges: this is a trial of an intervention being delivered for a novel condition. Understanding the perspectives of participants and their experiences of the intervention has enabled research nurses to provide the trial team with a greater understanding about any barriers being encountered, how the complex intervention is being implemented in real-time, and contributes to contextualising the findings. Research nurses also supported recruitment through raising awareness about the trial with the general public, such as taking part in radio interviews.

Read more about LISTEN