Take part in research

We believe taking part in research can a positive experience, but we understand it’s not for everyone. If you are asked to take part in a research study, but choose not to, this will not affect your routine healthcare.

What might I have to do?

If you are asked to take part in a research study, you’ll be given a participant information sheet (PIS) that tells you more about the research, what it involves, how much time it is likely to take and all the risks and benefits of taking part. Some of the things you might be asked to do in a study, which would be outlined in the PIS, include:

• filling in a questionnaire
• keeping a diary
• giving samples of blood, skin, or other tissue
• receiving a new medicine or treatment
• being interviewed by a researcher so they can hear your views and experiences

Please take the time to fully understand everything on the PIS before committing to taking part in a study.

You should discuss the leaflet and the idea of taking part with your family, friends, GP, or anyone else you feel comfortable speaking to. Your doctor or a member of the research team will also be on-hand to answer any questions you may have, and we encourage you to speak to them before signing the consent form.

If you are a patient at our Trust receiving treatment, and are interested in taking part in research, we advise you speak to speak to a member of your healthcare team to learn what research opportunities are available and which ones you might be able to take part in.

You can also visit the Be Part of Research website, which you can search for reserach studies that are open and are accepting patients, and which hospital they’re located at. For each study, you will find a summary telling you what it’s about and the contact details of the team involved – these are the people to contact if you’re interested in knowing more about the study or want to join it. You can also discuss a study from this website with your medical team — plese note that in some cases, doing this might mean you are referred to another hospital that is running that study.

If you have information about and are interested in joining a specific study taking place in one of our hospitals, please email us with the details (the name, lead investigator/ consultant’s name, condition / disease) and we can look into this for you.

The Women’s Health research team at Whipps Cross Hospital is made up of two dedicated research midwives (Prudence and Sophie). We run multiple studies researching topics in women’s health, covering gynaecology and obstetrics.

If you want to take part in any of our research studies, please feel free to get in touch. Here are the research studies that we are currently recruiting for:

• C-STICH2 - Looking into whether an emergency cervical stitch (cerclage) prevents miscarriage and preterm birth
• CRAFT - Looking into the role of a previous emergency Caesarean birth in labour on the future risk of preterm birth
• Baby and mum sample study - A sample collection study which is investigating the best way to take a sample to sequence a baby’s genome. Samples include a cord blood sample and buccal (cheek) swab from the newborn and a buccal swab from the mother. If newborns are having a clinically indicated blood test, then a capillary tube and bloodspot will also be collected.
• CaPE - A randomised controlled trial using triple-blinded design to investigate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of calcium supplementation plus usual care compared with usual care alone for prevention of pre-eclampsia and its complications in women at high risk of pre-eclampsia.
• DAISy-PCOS - An observational cohort study which aims to identify those women with PCOS who are at the highest risk of developing metabolic disease, which would allow for early detection and potentially the prevention of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, fatty liver, and cardiovascular disease.
• Help fertility - Hysteroscopic Excision of Leiomyoma and Polyp in Infertility. Two randomised controlled trials. What is the clinical and cost-effectiveness of hysteroscopic removal of submucosal fibroids and endometrial polyps compared to no hysteroscopic removal, in women presenting with infertility and recurrent miscarriage?
• Legacies & Futures - An observational cohort study investigating gestational parents' experiences with vulnerability and resilience as it influences parent and neonatal health. The population of interest is LGBTQIA+ gestational parents, with cisgender heterosexual parents included as a comparison group.
• LOCI - Letrozole or Clomifene, with or without metformin, for ovulation induction in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a 2x2 factorial design randomised trial
• Ohana - A Phase 2a/2b Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Volixibat in Adult Women with Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy and Elevated Serum Bile Acid Concentrations.
• SNAP3 - A randomised controlled trial of enhanced support and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) offered for preloading, lapse recovery and smoking reduction.

Our research engagement team work with researchers, patients and the public to support their engagement, participation and involvement in research.

They are the central point of contact for anyone interested in participating or getting involved in research and they send information to local people who have expressed an interest in getting involved.

All members of the public, especially those living in the areas we serve, are welcome to sign up to their mailing list. To sign up, email the team or Tweet them on @BartsHealthResearch.