Earlier this summer, HSRU’s Dr Heidi Gardner headed to Oxford to attend the EBMLive conference (previously Evidence Live), to spread the word about the ORINOCO project.
The ORINOCO project aims to tidy up outcomes in clinical trials, by providing trialists with transparent information about how long it takes to collect a variety of primary and secondary outcomes. The team led by Prof Shaun Treweek hope that by increasing transparency in this area, resources can be more mindfully allocated to the collection of outcome data, ultimately contributing to well-planned, stress-free, efficient trials (famous last words…).
One of the main components of the project is to find out how long it takes to collect a variety of outcomes measured in trials, so ORINOCO Research Fellow Dr Heidi Gardner travelled to Oxford to meet with EBMLive conference attendees to learn more about the practical process of outcome collection. Heidi spoke with patients, researchers, and clinicians, to find out how long it really takes to complete data collection measures such as EQ-5D, SF-36, and DAS28.
The ORINOCO team continue to collect timing data on a variety of outcome measures, aiming to complete this stage of the project over the coming months. Once all of these data are collected, the team will carry out a stakeholder consultation exercise. This stage will gather stakeholder views on the best way to use these data to improve trial efficiency, and produce guidance that funders and others can give to applicants to improve the process of trial planning.
If you’d like to know more about the ORINOCO project, please get in touch with Heidi Gardner: heidi.gardner1@abdn.ac.uk.