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The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to invest in care home research infrastructure

Gordon, Adam L.; Rick, Caroline; Juszczak, Ed; Montgomery, Alan; Howard, Rob; Guthrie, Bruce; Lim, Wei Shen; Shenkin, Susan; Leighton, Paul; Bath, Philip M; Ball, Jonathan; Gage, Heather; Glover, Matthew; Godfrey, Maureen; Hewitt, Jonathan; Jaki, Thomas; Lasserson, Dan; Logan, Pip; Passmore, Peter; Quinlan, Philip; Royal, Simon; Tate, Val

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Authors

Adam L. Gordon

ALAN MONTGOMERY ALAN.MONTGOMERY@NOTTINGHAM.AC.UK
Director Nottingham Clinical Trials Unit

Rob Howard

Bruce Guthrie

Wei Shen Lim

Susan Shenkin

PAUL LEIGHTON PAUL.LEIGHTON@NOTTINGHAM.AC.UK
Associate Professor of Applied Health Services Research

PHILIP BATH philip.bath@nottingham.ac.uk
Stroke Association Professor of Stroke Medicine

Jonathan Ball

Heather Gage

Matthew Glover

Maureen Godfrey

Jonathan Hewitt

Thomas Jaki

Dan Lasserson

PIP LOGAN pip.logan@nottingham.ac.uk
Professor of Rehabilitation Research

Peter Passmore

Philip Quinlan

Simon Royal

Val Tate



Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in catastrophic levels of morbidity and mortality for care home residents. Despite this, research platforms for COVID-19 in care homes arrived late in the pandemic compared with other care settings. The Prophylactic Therapy in Care Homes Trial (PROTECT-CH) was established to provide a platform to deliver multi-centre cluster-randomized clinical trials of investigational medicinal products for COVID-19 prophylaxis in UK care homes. Commencing set-up in January 2021, this involved the design and development of novel infrastructure for contracting and recruitment, remote consent, staff training, research insurance, eligibility screening, prescribing, dispensing and adverse event reporting; such infrastructure being previously absent. By the time this infrastructure was in place, the widespread uptake of vaccination in care homes had changed the epidemiology of COVID-19 rendering the trial unfeasible. While some of the resources developed through PROTECT-CH will enable the future establishment of care home platform research, the near absence of care home trial infrastructure and nationally linked databases involving the care home sector will continue to significantly hamper progress. These issues are replicated in most other countries. Beyond COVID-19, there are many other research questions that require addressing to provide better care to people living in care homes. PROTECT-CH has exposed a clear need for research funders to invest in, and legislate for, an effective care home research infrastructure as part of national pandemic preparedness planning. Doing so would also invigorate care home research in the interim, leading to improved healthcare delivery specific to those living in this sector.

Citation

Gordon, A. L., Rick, C., Juszczak, E., Montgomery, A., Howard, R., Guthrie, B., …Tate, V. (2022). The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to invest in care home research infrastructure. Age and Ageing, 51(3), Article afac052. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afac052

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jan 19, 2022
Online Publication Date Feb 17, 2022
Publication Date Mar 1, 2022
Deposit Date Jan 20, 2022
Publicly Available Date Feb 18, 2023
Journal Age and Ageing
Print ISSN 0002-0729
Electronic ISSN 1468-2834
Publisher Oxford University Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 51
Issue 3
Article Number afac052
DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afac052
Keywords Geriatrics and Gerontology; Aging; General Medicine
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/7280554
Publisher URL https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/51/3/afac052/6529173
Additional Information This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Age and Ageing following peer review. The version of record Adam L Gordon, Caroline Rick, Ed Juszczak, Alan Montgomery, Rob Howard, Bruce Guthrie, Wei Shen Lim, Susan Shenkin, Paul Leighton, Philip M Bath, the PROTECT-CH Triallists, The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to invest in care home research infrastructure, Age and Ageing, Volume 51, Issue 3, March 2022, afac052, is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afac052

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