‘We can analyse big data for one region’: how cloud-based software is streamlining clinical research
Whether it’s a global study into the psychological impact of Covid or UK-wide research on mental health, secure data-sharing is making it easier for Southern Health to collaborate
The importance of world-leading clinical research has never been more apparent than over the past 18 months. In 2020-21, more than 1.39 million people in England took part in studies sponsored by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the largest number the government body has had, and close to double that for 2019-20. Around 1 million of that total were recruited to take part in research investigating new treatments and developing vaccines for Covid-19.
“Research is one of the most exciting areas of healthcare,” says Dr Peter Phiri, research and development manager at the Southern Health NHS foundation trust in Southampton. “It’s about enquiry, finding solutions and testing assumptions. And when you hear about the impact, it’s so rewarding. Because we’ve all been benefactors of research conducted at one time or another.”
