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North West respiratory research trainee collaborative celebrates publication of first project

A respiratory group that works with NIHR Clinical Research Network Greater Manchester has published its landmark first research project looking at recovery prospects for hospitalised COVID-19 patients. 

The paper from the North West Collaborative Organisation for Respiratory Research (NWCORR) has been published in the BMJ JournalsThe group performed an evaluation of 830 adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 admitted across seven hospitals during a two-week period in April 2020. 

NWCORR is a collaboration formed by a group of respiratory registrars at the start of 2020, with the aim of pooling their efforts to design and deliver research and audit projects to address important clinical questions. From the outset, NWCORR has been supported by CRN Greater Manchester and its Respiratory Disorders Specialty Lead, Dr Abdul Ashish. 

Co-author Patrick Bradley said: “We have varying levels of research experience, and we all stand to strengthen our skills through the process.

“When COVID-19 swept through our hospitals we initiated this project to evaluate how best to predict who was at risk of seriously deteriorating in hospital. An impressive 19 trainees from seven hospitals across the Greater Manchester and Mersey regions contributed data, resulting in a large data set to enable meaningful analysis. This would not have been possible from any single site working alone.

“CRN Greater Manchester, particularly Respiratory Lead Dr Abdul, has supported NWCORR from its inception. They have provided practical advice as well as fostering links with senior researchers in the region. We look forward to future collaboration to build research experience and produce further valuable clinical insights.”

Dr Abdul Ashish, CRN Greater Manchester Respiratory Disorders Specialty Lead, said: “These trainee collaboratives are an important medium by which to introduce all our trainees to research. Such trainee collaboratives are the cornerstone to develop ‘early career researchers’ where trainees wouldn’t necessarily have to go ‘out of programme’ and commit to years to research.

“I would like to see foundation and core medical trainees be part of such collaboratives to enable trainees to start thinking of research earlier in their careers. CRN Greater Manchester has been instrumental in bringing this group together in respiratory medicine by facilitating the meetings and discussions and actively involving research-oriented consultants within the region by providing the support and guidance required.

“We are immensely proud of their first paper in a  high impact journal and hope this will be the first of many.”