Hathaway Medical Centre has an established Clinical Research Unit which regularly takes part in UK and international studies working in partnership with many of the leading pharmaceuticals companies and academic bodies.
These studies are in a wide variety of disease topics and we regularly recruit to target and beyond. The studies are varied, some may be looking at new methods of administering established drug, and some may be looking at new dose regimes to establish a quicker and more effective response to disease management while others may be comparative studies looking at two or more similar drugs on the market to determine which is the most effective.
Other studies may be looking at totally new medicines to establish effectiveness and the best dose regimes. All the studies taken on by Hathaway Medical Centre are chosen carefully so that the practice as a whole can benefit from the research.
Patients who choose to be involved in the studies receive individual consultations from the research doctors and careful monitoring from the research nurses on a regular basis. Suitable patients for each study are identified through a database search and then approached by the research team.
The overall purpose of research is to constantly update treatments, further medical knowledge and allow new developments in medicines. This also keeps the practice up to date and encourages overall health monitoring of the patient population.
Frequent areas of study for Hathaway Research Unit are blood pressure management, cholesterol control, diabetes, asthma, irritable bowel, osteoarthritis, obesity and urinary problems. Hathaway is mainly engaged with late phase 2B and phase 3 studies, occasionally a phase 4 study.
Study Phases.
Phase 1 studies – are early studies conducted in hospital on healthy volunteers following animal and cell trials. They are looking at safety and tolerability in a controlled medical environment.
Phase 2A – small cohort groups of volunteers who have the disease under study. They are looking at the safety/tolerability of drug and effectiveness.
Phases 2B are larger scale groups following successful findings in Phase 2A; looking at tolerability, side effects and effectiveness.
Phase 3 studies – large groups of patients with the indicated disease ie diabetes. Looking at efficacy usually vs another drug, dose finding, tolerability and side effect prior to registration with the FDA.
Phase 4 studies are post market studies ie licenced drugs, looking at long term effects and outcomes usually against a comparator.
Studies we are currently recruiting into :
COAT – Cellulitis Optimal Antibiotic Treatment, identifying patients from the triage system who present with unilateral cellulitis.
OPTIMISE 2 – looking at reducing blood pressure medication in patients aged over 75years of age with moderate to severe frailty. Database search completed and eligible patients will be invited to register interest via a letter.
ATHENA– patients aged >50 presenting with shingles. Looking to see if starting amitriptyline can reduce impact of post herpetic neuralgia.
DURATION UTI – looking at the impact of the duration of antibiotic therapy in woem presenting with Urinary Tract Infections – patients will be identified form the triage list daily.
Current studies that we are involved in but not recruiting too are :
Weight loss medications in Type 2 Diabetes
Weight loss for non-diabetics
Psoriasis Study
We also support academic studies by acting as a Patient Identification Centre- for these studies we identify patients via a database search and then these patients are contacted via text or email and asked to contact the researchers direct if interested. Patient information is not shared without implicit consent from the patient and all involvement in research is voluntary.
The Hathaway research team comprises of:
Dr L Wilson – Principal Investigator
Dr Lisa Kramer- Sub Investigator
Sister Clare Macdonald – Research Lead
Sister Mary Webster – Research Nurse
Mrs Sally Haselton – Administrative Assistant
If you would be interested in more information regarding the work that we do or would be interested in being involved, please contact Clare Macdonald or Mary Webster on 01249 454509
