TAKING PATIENTS’ AND CLINICIANS’ QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF TREATMENTS SERIOUSLY
A James Lind Alliance Meeting
held at the Royal Society of Medicine, London, 3 December 2005

This meeting was convened by the James Lind Alliance (JLA) to consider (i) mismatches between what researchers investigate and the unanswered questions about treatment uncertainties asked by patients and clinicians; (ii) mismatches between treatment outcomes studied by researchers and the outcomes regarded as important by patients; (iii) progress in the UK in identifying and prioritising unanswered patients’ and clinicians’ unanswered questions about the effects of treatments.

The objective of the meeting was to gain a clearer understanding of the benefits, difficulties and challenges in moving towards a research culture in which partnerships of patients and clinicians work together routinely to address treatment uncertainties and set priorities in research.

Presentation abstracts and slides, and a report of the morning session, are available below:

Morning session: ACKNOWLEDGING THE PROBLEMS
For a report of this session published in Health and Social Campaigners' News International, click here HSC News Article (PDF)

Mismatches between what researchers are researching and unanswered questions asked by patients and clinicians in:

Cancer [slides - PPS 152k] (abstract - PDF)
Derek Stewart – Foundation Chair, Consumer Liaison Group, National Cancer Research Institute

Osteoarthritis [slides - PPS 115k] (abstract - PDF)
Jiri Chard, National Collaborating Centre for Women & Children's Health

Mismatches between treatment outcomes studied by researchers and those regarded as important by patients in:

Rheumatoid arthritis [slides - PPS 3,983k] (abstract - PDF)
John Kirwan – Head, Academic Rheumatology Unit, University of Bristol
Enid Quest - Chair, Patients’ Advisory Group, Rheumatology Department, Bristol Royal Infirmary

Alzheimer’s disease [slides - PPS 999k] (abstract - PDF)
Harry Cayton - Director for Patients and the Public, Department of Health
Shirley Nurock - Quality Research in Dementia Consumer Network, The Alzheimer’s Society

Afternoon session: ADDRESSING THE PROBLEMS

Identifying patients’ and clinicians’ unanswered questions about the effects of treatments
Database of Uncertainty in Effects of Treatments (DUETs) [slides - PPS 522k] (abstract - PDF)
Mark Fenton - Editor, DUETs

The NICE experience of developing clinical guidance with clinicians and patient groups [slides - PPS 121k] (abstract - PDF)
Barbara Meredith - Patient and Public Involvement Programme, NICE

UK Clinical Research Network [slides - PPS 60k7] (abstract - PDF)
Maxine Stead - Assistant Director for Clinical Trials, UK Clinical Research Network

JLA Working Partnerships – our first years’ experience [slides - PPS 216k] (abstract - PDF)
Lester Firkins - James Lind Alliance
Jenny Versnel - Assistant Director Research, Asthma UK

Clinicians’ Perspective: Opportunities and Challenges [slides - PPS 87k] (abstract - PDF)
John Scadding - Consultant Neurologist and Associate Dean - Royal Society of Medicine

Back to top of page