ROAM: an online platform that links patients and clinicians with research

In this article…

• The importance of patient and NHS staff engagement with research

• How an online platform is making it easier to recruit patients to clinical trials

• Breaking down barriers between clinical and research teams

Nursing Times Awards

This initiative won the Clinical Research category in the 2021 Nursing Times Awards. To find out more about the NT Awards go to awards.nursingtimes.net

Key points

Many patients are not being offered the chance to take part in research

Clinical staff do not always know how to signpost and help patients participate in research trials

A new online platform allows patients to discover and register their interest in research trials

Clinical staff can use the platform to identify relevant studies and also refer patients

The project improves communication between researchers, clinicians, and patients

Abstract A survey we conducted at Moorfields Eye Hospital showed a lack of awareness among patients of opportunities to participate in research and that many staff did not know how to signpost patients to more information or believe that recruiting patients to trials was part of their role. We developed an online platform where patients can read about and register their interest in research and clinical staff can identify relevant studies and refer patients to them. This has increased staff and patient engagement with research. It has also had national and international reach, as 60% of patients showing an interest were non-Moorfields patients. We plan to build on this work at Moorfields as well as sharing it with other UK clinical research facilities.