Clinical research helps us better understand our health. Research tells us how we can
- improve our current care with existing treatments and medicines
- develop new and better medications and treatments
- diagnose diseases and conditions more easily, earlier or more accurately
- prevent people from developing diseases and conditions
Most care that people receive in hospitals and general practice is the result of clinical research trials and studies.
This includes experimental medicine trials, which look at the causes of disease, how treatments work and whether they are safe, and trials to test the effectiveness of new treatments to see if they are better than what is currently available.
Willow Group is actively involved with several studies in collaboration with Southern Health. As a patient, you may be asked to take part in one or more of them. There is not requirement for you to do so. Whether you take part or not, the care you receive from us will not be affected.
More of what we do can be found on the Southern Health R&I website.
Some of the studies we are currently working with include:
MARC
Memory Assessment and Research Centre
Conducting research into memory disorders including Mild Cognitive Impairment, Alzheimers Disease and Lewy Body Dementia with the aim to better prevent, diagnose and treat these diseases.
Further information at www.marctrials.org or in this leaflet.
GLAD
Genetic Links to Anxiety & Depression
The GLAD Study is a project set up to explore risk factores in individuals who have experiences depression and/or anxiety, including those with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, OCD, or related disorders, at any time in their lives. It aims to better understand depression and anxiety in order to find and develop more effective treatments.
Further information at www.gladstudy.org.uk.
DaRe2THINK
This is a project to test new ways of running clinical trials. The first trial targets an important health concern: aiming to improve the health outcomes of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), by reducing the risk of stroke, blood clots and potentially cognitive decline and vascular dementia.
Further information at www.birmingham.ac.uk/d2t.
