Realities in accessing records

doi:10.1136/bmj.b1196

Published 23 March 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b1196
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b1196

Letters

"Public-researcher partnership"

Realities in accessing records

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

As a paediatrician, I agree that current trends in regulationrisk impeding or even preventing important research that patientsand their parents want done.¹ People who have (or whose childrenhave) experienced acute and chronic illnesses usually enthusiasticallysupport (appropriately vetted, good quality) research and, indeed,often donate generously to the charities that fund much of thebest UK research. If you ask them whether they want protectionfrom the intrusion of their (or their child’s) recordsbeing screened for eligibility for a study, the stock responseis: "Don’t be daft, get on with it!"

In addition, clinical research nurses who identify suitablepotential subjects for studies are generally recruited, or onsecondment, from the clinical teams that manage the childrenthey are screening. They have contracts with the same NHS trustsand are bound by the same codes of professional conduct as thestaff delivering day to day care. . . . [Full text of this article]

Adam Finn, David Baum professor of paediatrics¹

¹ University of Bristol, Bristol BS2 8AE

adam.finn@bristol.ac.uk