Barlow Medical Centre in Manchester, supported by the Primary Care Research Network, was the first of 20 sites in the UK to recruit – a paramount achievement given the time pressures surrounding this psoriasis study. Siobhan Cosgrave is a senior clinical research associate for Smerud Medical Research UK Ltd, the Contract Research Organisation (CRO) managing this study in the UK. She explains the significance of this achievement:
“The study opened later in the UK than in most of the other countries in the rest of Europe and by the time the UK was on board 5 out of 8 countries in Europe had already started recruiting patients. And to add to that pressure, the end of recruitment is the 30th June, this is also an important deadline because psoriasis tends to clear up during the summer months and hence, this could impact on recruitment into the study.”
The study is investigating how the behaviour and interaction between medical staff and the patient affects treatment adherence and effectiveness. So it will observe how the medical staff educate and advise the patient in their condition and treatment and how that affects treatment outcomes.
Kate Wyer is a senior clinical studies officer for the Primary Care Research Network North West. She was initially involved in recommending practices for the study, then later involved in coordinating support for the study. She describes how she came up with an idea to streamline delivery:
“We looked at the practicalities of delivering the study which initially required a qualified research nurse to administer the treatment. We realised that if we could get the GP, Dr Kwok in this instance, to take on board that one clinical aspect of the study, then a Primary Care Research Network Clinical Studies Officer could fulfil all of the other study-related tasks.”
This proposal was accepted by the CRO acting on behalf of the sponsor, which facilitated a quicker start-up of these sites and allowed recruitment to get underway soon after the initiation visit. Jill Barlow, Clinical Studies Officer, supported Dr Kwok to recruit that crucial first patient:
“We had a pretty good idea that we were getting the first UK patient; Siobhan told us so. The site initiation took place on 25 April and the first patient was recruited less than a week later on 1 May. I was really pleased to see the study move on in this way and it was a pleasure to support Dr Kwok who is always very enthusiastic about research.”
Siobhan believes that this flexible approach has played an important role in recruitment for this study in the UK:
“The prompt recruitment of the first UK patient at this site can largely be attributed to the organisation and enthusiasm of Dr Kwok and Jill, the Clinical Studies Officer and the support provided by the PCRN. The Network suggested this approach and as a result, the UK is now catching up, even overtaking, some other countries. That’s great news for the UK, the sponsor and patients alike.”
