Hats off to the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Networks who published the latest data on patient experience in research this week. They have now been tracking patient views on participation for three years and with each report we gain a more informed picture of what matters to them. And with the sample now rising to nearly 5000 people, it’s become an extremely credible exercise.

The high positive ratings on overall experience (80+ %) are consistent with every survey I’ve seen in this field. But the report includes a neat synopsis of the recurrent themes in the data about what’s high on the priority list for patients including: motivation; research staff (constantly over-looked in public engagement efforts around health research); time; information; access issues. It will be interesting to see if and how these are highlighted in the PRIORITY Priority Setting Partnership looking at retention issues in trials.

What’s really clever about the report is that the authors – Mana Golsorkhi and Roger Steel – have then taken the findings and translated them into a series of recommendations for how issues might be addressed, charting these against different stages in the research pathway and then which organisations have responsibility for making it happen. In such a way they have shone a light on some of the weaker areas where further work is needed.

They also make some more pointed recommendations for each of the main issues identified above. I was taken with the proposal that each site (hospital, surgery etc). taking part in a clinical trial should carry out an ‘access audit’ which takes into account physical access, parking, time to travel etc. It’s a good idea. But i think it could be widened to a more general audit that is integral to assessing site feasibility.

Personally I would like to see all Clinical Trials Units and trial sites have Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to cover public involvement and patient experience.

Great report. A good way to end the week.