Why do pregnant women have a lower response to general anaesthetic? What is the most difficult experience you have had as a sponsor of any study? What is your top tip for effective recruitment?
These were just a few of the audience questions submitted to our panel of speakers during our Reproductive Health and Childbirth Research Symposium at Bristol & Bath Science Park on 7 February. The event was organised by CRN West of England and the Reproductive Health and Childbirth (RH&CB) Community of Practice, and was attended by research staff from Trusts across the West of England and beyond.
Alison Kirby facilitated the panel discussions and there were so many questions that there wasn’t enough time to answer everything. Catherine Bressington and Helen Lewis-White have answered the remaining questions below:
To Catherine Bressington: If you knew before starting research what you know now, would you get involved in research?
Catherine says: ‘Yes – definitely. I love what I do and feel very passionate about making sure that we provide the best care possible to our mums and babies. I think that the best way I can do this is through constantly questioning what we do, even if the answers don’t always go our way!’.
For Helen Lewis-White: what was the biggest lesson you learnt from the IMox study?
Helen says: ‘The resources required to deliver the trial far exceeded the grant, even when we received a further grant. The biggest causality of the study was the data management. Sadie and team have had to work really hard to manage and rectify this situation. Lack of research funds meant there were fewer midwives on the ground to undertake the recruitment which resulted in slower recruitment and data flow.
There is obviously a balance about when feasibility supersedes clinical imperative, but again even where there is a significant clinical imperative the risk of under resourcing a study is that the question is never answered, answered badly or another study has addressed the study before you finish. The study achieved what it did because of the fabulous work of the PIs and midwives at all the sites, but I really do believe there are better ways of forging a team than through trial by ordeal.’
We’d like to invite you to help answer our last question (comment on the article below):
To any Principal Investigator (PI): What puts consultants off becoming PIs?
Chantal Sunter, Research Delivery Manager for the CRN West of England, chaired the day’s events, which featured insights into individual studies running in the West of England. The study snapshots began with a presentation from Mel Rich from Royal United Hospitals (RUH) in Bath about the PARROT study that is investigating PlGF and pre-eclampsia. This was followed by Naomi Mallinson’s presentation of the ASSIST Study and the testing of the BD Odon Device in assisted childbirth at North Bristol Trust.
Wendy Duberry and Jenny Pullen from RUH in Bath presented on the BUMPES Study, investigating maternal position during the late stages of labour in nulliparous women with an epidural, and revealed the study’s important findings that provide evidence for hospitals to adopt the lying down position rather than vertical position for nulliparous women in second stage with an epidural.
The afternoon continued with Becky Pearson from the University of Bristol presenting on the ALSPAC Study and mental health during pregnancy, ASSIST Trial Manager Sadie McKeown Keegan explaining the study development process and how ethics committees function, and anaesthetist Chris Marsh exploring the benefits of collaborative working in RH&CB studies. Consultant and Lead Nurse for Gynaecology Karen Easton and Kelly Bingham discussed experiences of being non-medic PIs on the VESPA study, and Research Operations Manager Helen Lewis-White and Research Midwife Catherine Bressington recounted the lessons learnt from the IMox study, the largest study hosted at the RUH to date.
If you would like to get involved in organising or speak at next year’s RH&CB Research Symposium, please contact Sara Burnard at sara.burnard@nhs.net and Billie Stevens at billie.stevens@nihr.ac.uk to express your interest.
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