MFT makes “exceptional” start to trial looking to improve outcomes for patients with kidney disease
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) has reached its recruitment target for a kidney disease trial well ahead of schedule and is the second best performing site in the UK.
Both the study team and the local specialty lead have praised MFT for its “exceptional” recruitment thus far to the H4RT trial.
The project, funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme, aims to establish the effectiveness of haemodialysis versus haemodiafiltration in the treatment of kidney disease.
A total of 25 UK sites are open and recruiting to H4RT. MFT is the second highest recruiting site with 51 and is among a select number to have recruited during every month since site initiation – averaging 5.41 per month.
Recruitment for H4RT began in November 2017. The study has been designed with the ambition to improve outcomes for patients with end stage kidney disease, which affects around 55,000 people in the UK. Almost half of these people will have blood cleaning treatment known as haemodialysis at a hospital.
The addition of filtration (the removal and replacement of fluid) to regular haemodialysis is known as haemodiafiltration. This does not change the dialysis procedure as far as the patient is concerned – they still undergo dialysis for four hours, three times a week, but the procedure just requires a change in equipment and nurse practice.
By removing toxins more effectively, haemodiafiltration may improve survival, infection rates and quality of life of patients.
Dr Sandip Mitra, NIHR Clinical Research Network Greater Manchester (CRN GM) specialty lead for Renal Disorders, applauded MFT and the wider CRN GM network for the fantastic work so far.
MFT has collaborated with satellite partners at East Cheshire NHS Trust and Stockport NHS Foundation Trust to facilitate recruitment.
Dr Mitra, Consultant Nephrologist at MFT, said: “The H4RT NIHR study has recruited exceptionally well in Manchester where the team has performed consistently throughout 2018.
“Not only have we reached our target well before the end of the full recruitment period, but patient recruitment has been from two of MFT’s most distant satellite units, with our colleagues at Macclesfield and Stockport playing important roles in identifying potential participants who might be eligible for H4RT.
The implementation of some useful IT modifications at MFT has enabled data download from the remote sites to become automatic, which has significantly reduced travel time, and the quality of data collection has also been excellent
“Overall, it has been a great team effort, and a special thanks must go to Jan Bendle, renal research nurse at MFT, for this strong performance so far.”
Dr Sunita Procter, H4RT Trial Manager at the University of Bristol, said: “Jan Bendle has provided high quality patient data to the study team at University of Bristol and we are pleased that since the site opened on 16 February 2018 they have recruited 51 patients.”
