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Oxford ranks high on offering patients research participation

20/07/2020
This article is more than three years old.

Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) is among the highest-ranked NHS trusts when it comes to offering inpatients the opportunity to take part in research.

In the 2019 Care Quality Commission (CQC) adult inpatient survey of 144 Trusts in England, published in July 2020, OUH was one of only nine trusts that performed 'better' when compared with other trusts  for 'taking part in research'.

This question in the survey relates to the proportion of inpatients who have had a member of the clinical team discuss with them the opportunity of taking part in a research study. The survey results showed that 26 percent of respondents at OUH hospitals said that they had been asked if they wanted to participate, and 21 percent had agreed to take part in a research study.

OUH's Chief Medical Officer, Prof Meghana Pandit, said:

"OUH provides the right environment, in partnership with the universities, to achieve this. We are proud of our clinicians, who go the extra mile in collaborating with others and seeking opportunities to develop new paradigms and concepts to improve health and care of our patients and we thank our patients for their participation in research."

Prof Keith Channon, Director of Research and Development at OUH, said:

“Oxford is known as a world-leading centre for scientific research, but patient participation is vital for our clinical research successes, and I'm delighted that a significant proportion of OUH inpatients are being approached to participate. By taking part they are helping to find the new diagnoses, treatments and cures for the future."

Each year, the CQC conducts a survey of 1,250 adult inpatients in each NHS trust to find out about their experiences.

The significance of research as a factor in improving patient care was recognised in 2019 when clinical research was included in the CQC's assessment of whether a trust is effective and well-led.

The change reflected a growing body of evidence showing that research-active hospitals have better patient outcomes, including reduced mortality rates, and that patients value the opportunity to take part in, and benefit from, research.

In 2019, more than 2,000 research studies were taking place at OUH.

Photo by Olga Kononenko on Unsplash