Eastfield House Surgery now participates in research projects. We support important national studies that are organised by other researchers.

This is an example of a research project we recently participated in –

The EXE-T1D Study is trying to understand why some people develop Type 1 diabetes very early in life.

The aim of this work is to study people who develop T1D extremely young, as babies under 2 years of age. We think that, for the condition to have developed that early, they must have an unusual or extreme form of autoimmunity.

Studying people with very early-onset diabetes will enable us to look at exactly what goes wrong with the immune system because they have one of the most extreme forms of the disease. We may be able to learn a lot about the disease from a small number of rare individuals. We aim to confirm that they have autoimmune type 1 diabetes and then try to understand how it is possible that they have developed diabetes so young by studying their immune system genes, the function of their immune system, and environmental factors (such as maternal genetics) that may play a role in their development of the disease.

Taking part in a research study

If you meet the entry criteria for a particular research study that we are running at this practice, your Doctor, Nurse or a member of the Administration team may contact you to discuss it.

If you are interested in finding out more about that study, we will ask for your permission to pass your name and contact details on to the relevant study team. The research team will then make contact with you directly to tell you more about the study and what it involves.

With regard to our research activity, please be assured that:

• Participation in research is entirely voluntary and you have the right to say ‘No’. Nobody will put pressure on you to take part in research if you do not wish to.
• Your care and your relationship with your doctor or nurse will not be affected in any way if you decide not to take part in a research study.
• You will always receive clear information about what taking part in a research study will involve.
• Nobody from outside of this practice will be given your contact details or have access to your medical records without your prior consent.

 

 

This practice contributes to the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. To find out more, view our leaflet.