About AvonCAP GP2
AvonCAP GP2: general practice study about chest infections
We are inviting adults diagnosed with possible chest infections, worsening heart failure, asthma or COPD to take part in our research.
We want to understand how many of these illnesses could be prevented by vaccinations and what groups of patients might benefit most.
The study is led by the University of Bristol and is funded by Pfizer. It has been approved by the NHS Health Research Authority and Research Ethics Committee and is taking place in general practices in Bristol.
Why are we doing this research?
We want to understand:
- the impact these illnesses have on patients and the NHS;
- how many of these illnesses could be prevented by vaccination (e.g. with COVID vaccines and other vaccines that are being developed);
- what groups of patients might benefit most from vaccination.
Who can take part?
To take part in this research you must be:
- registered with a GP practice taking part in the study;
- aged 18 years or over;
- diagnosed by a GP or other health professional with a current chest infection or worsening of heart failure, asthma or COPD;
- invited by the research team to take part.
What will happen to people who choose to take part?
Collecting information about the person and their illness
We will collect information from the GP records about the person and their illness. We will ask some extra questions, like whether they have ever smoked.
Collecting samples
To find out which germ has caused the illness, we will take a nose and throat swab, and a saliva sample. These tests are being done for the study and will not affect the patient’s medical care.
Symptom diary
We will ask them to fill out a diary about their illness every day until their symptoms have gone, for up to 28 days.
Follow-up diary
This is just for people who have not fully recovered from their illness (back to normal for them) after 4 weeks. We will ask them to fill out a short follow-up diary until they have recovered for up to 12 months (initially fortnightly, then at 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 and 12 months).
What information will we collect?
We will only collect information on people who meet the study criteria. We would like to collect information from their GP record about:
- the person, including their date of birth, NHS number, gender, ethnicity and the area where they live (the first 4-5 digits of their postcode);
- their current illness including visits to the GP practice (e.g. appointment dates and symptoms), visits to hospital (e.g. date of admission and discharge) and any tests they had as part of their care (e.g. tests for COVID-19), diagnoses and treatments given;
- their long-term health conditions (e.g. high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma), whether they smoke or have smoked in the past and what vaccinations they have had (e.g. COVID-19, flu, pneumococcal vaccinations).
How will we keep information (data) confidential?
We are very careful to keep information confidential. Everything we (the AvonCAP GP2 study team) do is designed to protect people’s privacy and we commit to using their information in an appropriate way. The data will be anonymised - there will be no way of identifying the person from the data. To find out more about the study, how we use data or about your rights, please click on the links below:
Benefits and disadvantages of taking part
What about people who find reading or filling out forms difficult? Can they take part?
Of course. Our team is here to help and can talk people through what to do. Let us know how we can help. You can find out about the study by watching the explanation films:
