Sign up for health research on Clinical Trials Day

Clinical trials enable researchers to explore whether new treatments and procedures are safe and effective for the general public. They are a crucial step in bringing new developments to a wide audience across the spectrum of disease.

On Wednesday May 20, staff from the University of Exeter Medical School, the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) will join forces to raise awareness of the value of such research. They will be on hand at the Guildhall Shopping Centre in Exeter City Centre, creating a collage of people holding a banner saying “I love clinical research because…” They will also be inviting people to sign up to the Exeter 10,000 Project and other medical research.

Dr Gill Baker, Manager of the NIHR Clinical Research Facility, which runs Exeter 10,000, said: “Getting involved in medical research isn’t a big commitment, yet it can yield huge benefits for people into the future. Taking part in Exeter 10,000 involves a half hour appointment and all results are anonymised. We already have more than 7,000 people signed up towards our target of 10,000, and this will provide a valuable database that scientists can use to look for patterns in understanding the root cause of disease, helping to unlock new treatments.”

Ana Juett, Patient & Public Involvement Officer for the NIHR Clinical Research Network, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for everyone involved in clinical research to come together and celebrate how we can  contribute to improving healthcare.  As well as being able to sign up to Exeter 10,000 members of the public will be able to join our database for people interested in helping  develop and deliver better research; from setting research priorities and helping clinicians design new studies all the way through to helping  raise awareness about research and its benefits”.

International Clinical Trials Day provides a focal point to raise awareness of the importance of research to healthcare, and highlights how partnerships between patients and healthcare practitioners are vital to high-quality, relevant research. International Clinical Trials Day will be celebrated around the world to commemorate the day that James Lind started his famous trial on the deadly disease scurvy.

The team will be on hand at the Guildhall Shopping Centre, Exeter, outside Sainsburys, between 0900 and 1700.