More consideration should be given to primary care studies from the very start of any pandemic, in order to prevent worsening of patient symptoms and reduce hospital admission.
This is one of the key recommendations of a paper about the learnings from the delivery of a major COVID-19 research trial conducted in primary settings, published by the NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) today.
Preparedness for the next pandemic is a key theme for the health and care research community. Learnings from how this study was delivered will be useful not just in future pandemic research but in health and care research more broadly. This is especially the case for primary care as it is increasingly seen as an expanding setting for clinical research.
In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, much research was carried out in secondary settings on patients that were critically ill. But in Spring 2021, it became clear that there were some novel antiviral drugs that merited further evaluation in primary care.
Later that year, PANORAMIC (Platform Adaptive trial of NOvel antiviRals for eArly treatMent of COVID-19 In the Community) was born. Funded by NIHR, delivered by the NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) and equivalent networks in the devolved administrations, and led by the University of Oxford, it is the fastest recruiting and the largest trial of a therapeutic agent for COVID-19 ever in primary care.
The 80-page paper, authored by Professor Phil Evans, GP and Deputy Health and Care Director at the NIHR Research Delivery Network together with colleagues from the NIHR and University of Oxford main recommendation concludes that primary care research should be at the forefront of future pandemic preparedness.
Dr Nigel Hart, GP and Principal Investigator of the PANORAMIC study in Northern Ireland: “In having the opportunity to play our role in the PANORAMIC trial, we got a glimpse of the innate willingness of the people in Northern Ireland to participate in clinical research, and of what can be achieved in partnership with Primary Care. It was a privilege to be part of the team, and it sets the path for our future direction.”
Dr Janice Bailie, Assistant Director, Research and Development within the Public Health Agency said:
“The support of the Northern Ireland Clinical Research Network Primary Care team was a key enabler for this important study. I anticipate further growth and success in the NI primary care research sector as we work towards our goal of broader participation in health and social care research for the NI population.”
To read more on the recommendations and the PANORAMIC study, visit: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/news/panoramic-study-learnings-are-key-to-pandemic-preparedness/36490