The committee has collated links to important, high-quality resources to help trainees develop as researchers and prepare excellent project proposals.
NIHR Learn
NIHR’s free, accredited learning programs [learn.nihr.ac.uk] can be accessed for free by any NHS or university employee [https://sites.google.com/a/nihr.ac.uk/crn-learn-help/accessing-nihr-learn]. It provides courses and toolkits on topics including quality improvement and project management, and further resources such as careers advice for academic clinicians is available in the Learning and Support section of the NIHR website [https://www.nihr.ac.uk/health-and-care-professionals/learning-and-support/]
Good Clinical Practice (GCP)
Good Clinical Practice [https://www.nihr.ac.uk/health-and-care-professionals/learning-and-support/good-clinical-practice.htm] is the international ethical, scientific and practical standard to which all clinical research is conducted. Online GCP courses can be accessed via NIHR Learn [learn.nihr.ac.uk]. GCP training is essential for all clinicians involved in research, including all studies carried out by INSPIRE.
Statistics
High-level statistical training and understanding is not required for formulation of a project proposal; statistical support will be given to the trial steering groups of projects selected to be taken forward. Nevertheless, good basic understanding of statistical methods is essential for effective clinical research. Key considerations when proposing projects are study design, sample size and choice of statistical tests.
There are many free online resources available to assist with these decisions and the INSPIRE committee members have personally used the following:
Formulating a Research Question
A well-formulated research question is the key to turning an idea into a successful research project. The following resources assist with this process:
NIHR Research Design Service London [https://www.rds-london.nihr.ac.uk/resources/developing-a-research-question-2/]
BMJ Research to Publication [https://new-learning.bmj.com/research-to-publication] – available for free with an NHS Athens account
Guidelines and Evidence
Guideline development groups will have reviewed all available evidence on a topic and therefore make recommendations for further research that are urgent, important and worth pursuing
The committee has collated a summary of the research recommendations from current respiratory guidelines published by BTS and NICE. This is intended to guide trainees to areas where research is anticipated to be particularly fruitful, but is not exhaustive or prescriptive, and is not designed to restrict the scope of project proposals.
Gaining Research Experience – COVID-19 studies
Inpatient COVID-19 studies are recruiting nationwide and are an ideal way to gain experience in research methods including consent, eligibility assessment and randomisation. Online training is available for RECOVERY [https://www.recoverytrial.net/for-site-staff/training] and HEAL-COVID [https://heal-covid.net/]. Ask your local R&D department for more information.
Resources
The committee has collated links to important, high-quality resources to help trainees develop as researchers and prepare excellent project proposals.
NIHR Learn
NIHR’s free, accredited learning programs [learn.nihr.ac.uk] can be accessed for free by any NHS or university employee [https://sites.google.com/a/nihr.ac.uk/crn-learn-help/accessing-nihr-learn]. It provides courses and toolkits on topics including quality improvement and project management, and further resources such as careers advice for academic clinicians is available in the Learning and Support section of the NIHR website [https://www.nihr.ac.uk/health-and-care-professionals/learning-and-support/]
Good Clinical Practice (GCP)
Good Clinical Practice [https://www.nihr.ac.uk/health-and-care-professionals/learning-and-support/good-clinical-practice.htm] is the international ethical, scientific and practical standard to which all clinical research is conducted. Online GCP courses can be accessed via NIHR Learn [learn.nihr.ac.uk]. GCP training is essential for all clinicians involved in research, including all studies carried out by INSPIRE.
Statistics
High-level statistical training and understanding is not required for formulation of a project proposal; statistical support will be given to the trial steering groups of projects selected to be taken forward. Nevertheless, good basic understanding of statistical methods is essential for effective clinical research. Key considerations when proposing projects are study design, sample size and choice of statistical tests.
There are many free online resources available to assist with these decisions and the INSPIRE committee members have personally used the following:
BMJ Statistics notes [https://www.bmj.com/specialties/statistics-notes]
NIHR Research Design Service London [https://www.rds-london.nihr.ac.uk/resources/#statistics]
Guidelines and Evidence
Guideline development groups will have reviewed all available evidence on a topic and therefore make recommendations for further research that are urgent, important and worth pursuing
The committee has collated a summary of the research recommendations from current respiratory guidelines published by BTS and NICE. This is intended to guide trainees to areas where research is anticipated to be particularly fruitful, but is not exhaustive or prescriptive, and is not designed to restrict the scope of project proposals.
Gaining Research Experience – COVID-19 studies
Inpatient COVID-19 studies are recruiting nationwide and are an ideal way to gain experience in research methods including consent, eligibility assessment and randomisation. Online training is available for RECOVERY [https://www.recoverytrial.net/for-site-staff/training] and HEAL-COVID [https://heal-covid.net/]. Ask your local R&D department for more information.