Information for patients
We carry out research to improve our knowledge of respiratory and allergic diseases, to understand what might be causing them and how best to treat them. The answers that we get from our research can help to change the way medical professionals (such as doctors, nurses, therapists, etc.) manage patients with respiratory and allergic conditions, or improve the treatments that are currently available to you, which in turn can improve your quality of life.
Before any research is carried out, the researcher must create a research question to be answered (called a hypothesis) and put together a plan to answer it (called a protocol). Research is carried out by different people such as doctors, nurses, scientists or healthcare researchers. The NIHR South Manchester Clinical Research Facility provides the space, staff and equipment for researchers to carry out high quality clinical trials into respiratory and allergic conditions.
Different types of research include:
In observational studies researchers assess a condition on a single day or over a period of time (which could be a few weeks or several months). This helps researchers to understand patterns in health which in turn may help us to select suitable treatments for people. Some observational studies may require you to undergo some tests (such as a blood test or lung function tests) but the type of test will depend on what question each study is trying to answer.
There are different types of intervention studies. The most common one is called a randomised controlled trial. These studies usually involve taking a new treatment and comparing it with a dummy (placebo) treatment. The treatment people are assigned to is allocated at random.
Qualitative research is designed to understand the patient experience. For example, you might be interviewed individually or join in a group discussion about your experience of living with your condition. The discussion is usually recorded and words and phrases from the discussion are looked at by the researcher to see what the common experiences are. Qualitative research may also involve completing questionnaires.
Find out more about the different respiratory and allergic conditions we research by clicking here. Allternatively, why not take a look at our Facilities page for a virtual tour of the NIHR South Manchester Clinical Research Facility.