Background: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the implementation of social distancing measures, travel restrictions, and infection control measures that introduced a myriad of disruptions in the conduct of clinical research worldwide. As a result, many aspects of clinical research were variably impacted.
Aim: To explore the impact of the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical research across accredited nursing, pharmacy, and medicine program providers in Australian and New Zealand universities.
Methods: Representatives from all program providers across Australian and New Zealand universities, with publicly available contact information, were invited to participate in this qualitative study, whereby semi-structured interviews were completed with participants who held senior research or leadership positions within their institution. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and inductively analysed using thematic content analysis.
Findings: Interviews were conducted with 16 participants between August and October 2021. Two major themes were identified ( and ) with six subthemes: Prioritisation, Continuation, and Dissemination of Research; Modifications to Research; Funding and Changes to Research Focus; Collaboration; Research Workforce; Context-specific Impacts.
Discussion: The impact on clinical research in Australian and New Zealand universities included changes to data collection methods, a perceived decreased quality of research, changes to collaboration, neglect of basic disease research, and loss of the research workforce.
Conclusion: This study highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical research within the Australian and New Zealand university context. Implications of these impacts should be considered to ensure long-term sustainability of research and preparedness for future disruptions.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2023.05.002 | DOI Listing |
BMC Public Health
January 2025
The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, The University of Sydney, Level 6, Jane Foss Russell Building, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
Background: Preventure is a selective school-based personality-targeted program that has shown long-term benefits in preventing student alcohol use, internalising and externalising problems when delivered by psychologists. In this first Australian randomised controlled trial of school staff implementation of Preventure, we aimed to examine i) acceptability, feasibility, and fidelity and ii) effectiveness of Preventure on student alcohol use, internalising, and externalising symptoms.
Methods: A cluster-randomised controlled implementation trial was conducted in Sydney, Australia and was guided by the RE-AIM framework (Glasgow et al.
BMC Cancer
January 2025
Exercise Medicine Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia.
Background: Tumour hypoxia resulting from inadequate perfusion is common in many solid tumours, including prostate cancer, and constitutes a major limiting factor in radiation therapy that contributes to treatment resistance. Emerging research in preclinical animal models indicates that exercise has the potential to enhance the efficacy of cancer treatment by modulating tumour perfusion and reducing hypoxia; however, evidence from randomised controlled trials is currently lacking. The 'Exercise medicine as adjunct therapy during RADIation for CAncer of the prostaTE' (ERADICATE) study is designed to investigate the impact of exercise on treatment response, tumour physiology, and adverse effects of treatment in prostate cancer patients undergoing external beam radiation therapy (EBRT).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Med
January 2025
Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Effective, scalable dementia prevention interventions are needed to address modifiable risk factors given global burden of dementia and challenges in developing disease-modifying treatments. A single-blind randomized controlled trial assessed an online multidomain lifestyle intervention to prevent cognitive decline over 3 years. Participants were dementia-free community-dwelling Australians aged 55-77 years with modifiable dementia risk factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
January 2025
Centre for Marine Magnetism (CM2), Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.
Late Miocene climate evolution provides an opportunity to assess Earth's climate sensitivity to carbon cycle perturbation under warmer-than-modern conditions. Despite its relevance for understanding the climate system, the driving mechanisms underlying profound climate and carbon cycle changes - including the enigmatic Late Miocene cooling from 7 to 5.4 million years ago - remain unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMJ
January 2025
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine; and Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Approximately half of critically ill adults experience intensive care unit acquired weakness (ICUAW). Patients who develop ICUAW may have negative outcomes, including longer duration of mechanical ventilation, greater length of stay, and worse mobility, physical functioning, quality of life, and mortality. Early physical rehabilitation interventions have potential for improving ICUAW; however, randomized trials show inconsistent findings on the efficacy of these interventions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!