The BHF Clinical Research Collaborative (BHF CRC), which is hosted by the BCS, has launched a National Cardiovascular Clinical Research Database as part of its continuing commitment to encourage wider participation in research. The database provides an opportunity to link clinicians, academics, patients and family members, funders and specialist industrial partners which will help coordinate research activity in the UK.
One of the key strategic aims is to promote the wider benefits of research activity, ensuring the views of patients and clinicians are encouraged and heard alongside academics and industry in research development. This database will support the collaboration that they seek to develop and provide the opportunity for members to request information to support their research objectives (for example, to find clinicians and centres to participate in their project or to find patients or service users with experience in their field).
The user will be able to register their specific interests and expertise and tell us with which hospitals, universities, societies, or groups they are already associated; this will greatly improve the planning and delivery of clinical research in the UK, leading to higher quality and more impactful research.
BHF CRC has commissioned a programme for the continuous development of the database to better serve specific groups or purposes. The first initiative will be to support the CONNECT Cardiology project of the BJCA as they develop a network of cardiologists in training for mutual research support. We would encourage other groups to think about how an extended dataset, presented just to their members or other target audience could provide better information to plan and deliver clinical research in their field.
To access the new BHF CRC National Clinical Research Database (and to sign up!) please click here: www.researchdatabase.bhfcrc.org
