Welcome. Healthtalkonline, an award-winning charity website, lets you share in other people's experiences of health and illness. This information is based on qualitative research into patient experiences led by experts at the University of Oxford.
Biobanking
Taking part in biobanking involves donating samples of blood, tissue, fat and other body fluids which are used in research to improve our understanding of health and disease. Samples may be stored for long periods of time, depending on the study, so that long term future research can be carried out. This new Healthtalkonline section on Experiences of Biobanking Projects includes interviews with 21 people from different backgrounds discussing what it is like to be involved in biobanking, the reasons they took part, the information they needed and the concerns they had. There are accounts from healthy volunteers, pregnant women, people with health conditions, and those who chose not to take part.
Clinical trials
Well-designed clinical trials are a vital contribution to advancing medical knowledge, in order to improve treatment, care and quality of life for patients. It is important that trial volunteers understand what is involved and are able to make an informed choice. The new Healthtalkonline section on Experiences of Clinical Trials features interviews with 42 people from a wide range of backgrounds talking about why they took part in a trial, what information they needed, and what it was like for them. It also includes accounts from patients who decided not to take part, and those who withdrew from a trial.
Clinical trials: Parents’ experiences
Well-designed clinical trials make a vital contribution to advancing medical knowledge, and so improve treatment, care and quality of life for all, including children. Because children are different from adults developmentally and physiologically, clinical trials in children are essential to ensure they receive appropriate, safe and effective treatments and care.
When parents are asked to enrol their children in a clinical trial it is important they understand what is involved and can make informed choices – together with their children, if they are old enough. In this healthtalkonline module 24 parents and 3 health professionals share their experiences of children being invited to take part in clinical trials.
Coming soon - Participating in medical studies
The Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), based at the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Trust, is working closely with Healthtalkonline and the Health Experiences Research Group to explore people's experiences of research participation and improve public engagement and awareness. The BRC has funded a fellowship (held by Louise Locock) to conduct interviews with patients taking part in several types of research, including:
- a study of a new screening programme in Oxfordshire to detect previously unrecognised heart valve disease - Oxvalve
- research aimed at preventing stroke by improving our understanding and treatment of transient ischaemic attack/minor stroke
- biobanking studies (where people give blood, tissue, saliva or other samples to be stored or 'banked' for future medical research).
These interviews will be used to create new resources on healthtalkonline, to raise awareness and provide information for patients asked to take part in such research. They will also be used to help inform staff involved in conducting research, giving them insight into what patients feel about research participation and stimulate discussion about how care and information can be improved.
If you have been involved in any of these research studies and would like to find out more about being interviewed, please contact louise.locock@dphpc.ox.ac.uk
