The NIHR Patient Recruitment Centre: Newcastle has this month launched a brand-new website for the Research+Me online registry. The website builds on the previous Research+Me webpage by providing additional information about joining the registry. It also features latest news stories and studies that Research+Me registrants can take part in.
Research+Me is an online registry for people who are interested in taking part in clinical research. Anybody who signs up to the registry agrees to receive information about studies that they may be eligible for.
The aim of the registry is to make it as easy as possible for people to take part in clinical trials. In the past, researchers primarily recruited people to trials via hospitals and specialist clinics. Research+Me gives more people the opportunity to learn about clinical research and help improve healthcare for the wider community.
The team behind the registry
The registry is run by staff at the NIHR Patient Recruitment Centre: Newcastle, which is part of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Many Research+Me studies take place at their dedicated facility in Fenham (edit September 2024: we have now moved to the Leazes Wing of the Royal Victoria Infirmary). However, the team also works with other hospitals and research sites in the North East and further afield.
Occasionally, researchers also use Research+Me to find participants for virtual studies. For virtual studies, participants do not have to travel to a hospital site or clinic and can take part remotely. The team therefore welcomes anybody aged 18 or over to sign up to Research+Me, regardless of their location.
Professor Yan Yiannakou, Clinical Director of the NIHR Patient Recruitment Centre: Newcastle, said: “Our previous Research+Me website was quite simple and not that visually appealing. We have designed the new website with user experience in mind and have tried to make all information about Research+Me as easy to find as possible. People should be able to find the answers they need and be able to get in touch with us easily. We hope that the website has an open and friendly feel that mirrors the ethos of our team and encourages more people to sign up to the registry.”
Browse the new website to find out more about Research+Me and the studies you could take part in.