Nurses at Guy’s and St Thomas’ are taking part in the first trial into how patients with COVID-19 are cared for – and leading the research.
The COVID-NURSE trial is believed to be the only robust research study on nursing for patients admitted to hospital with the Coronavirus.
The study looks at how new care guidelines, developed by the University of Exeter with nurses, academics and patients who had experience of COVID-19 during the first wave, can impact on outcomes for patients.
Nurses taking part in the trial are randomly assigned to either continue with standard care, or adopt the innovative new model for care.
Once evaluated, it is hoped that the study can help develop a suite of training materials and resources so best practice can be shared internationally.
The study is being led at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Trust by Fiona Hibberts, head of the Nightingale Academy and a consultant nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’, is leading the study at the trust.
“At such a difficult and challenging time, our ward teams have embraced the study and appreciate the importance of it,” she said.
“They want to be part of designing nursing care and supporting it with the best possible evidence. A huge thank you to them for supporting the trial.”
Avey Bhatia, chief nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’, added: “Over the course of the pandemic, nurses have gone over and above to care for patients, and we’ve seen just how vital nursing is.
“The COVID-NURSE trial is revolutionary for a number of reasons. It’s nurse-led research, which we want to see more of.
“It is also an intervention that has been developed with patients, which is really powerful.
“We’re excited as a trust to be taking part in this study.
“We think by bringing together nurses and patients to lead research, this trial has the potential to go beyond the care that we give to COVID-19 patients.
“The lessons we learn from this work could change the future of nursing, by showing us how we can learn from patients and gather robust evidence on how nursing improves patient care.”