Before you get into these questions, please remember the Top Tips document – its super helpful!
Q. What information shall I send to sunflower-study@bristol.ac.uk?
A. We would be grateful if you could provide us with the following information so that we can keep track of where everyone is and who is doing what:
Finish date in your current hospital, if known
Hospital at next rotation (including start and finish date, if known)
An nhs.net email address if you have one
An Introduction to Good Clinical Practice (GCP) in Secondary Care certificate, less than 3 years old
Q. How do I complete Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training?
A. The relevant GCP course is called ‘Introduction to Good Clinical Practice (GCP) eLearning’ and can be completed online. If you do not have an NIHR account already, you will need to register before starting your training.
The course takes approximately 2-3 hours, and it can be completed in several sittings as progress can be saved. Should you wish to complete training in person, a full day face-to-face training workshop is available, if preferred. You can find courses near you on the “Locally Delivered Learning” tab of the CRN website.
Once you have completed the training, please forward your certificate to sunflower-study@bristol.ac.uk
Please also encourage your colleagues to undertake this training.
Q. What training is available for recruiting patients into Randomised Controlled Trials?
A. There is a new online resource which aims to help with the practical aspects of recruiting patients into Randomise Controlled Trials, called ‘Granule’.
In addition, the Sunflower study has an inbuilt intervention, which aims to optimise recruitment. A ‘tip sheet’ is available from sunflower-study@bristol.ac.uk, with further tailored advice available throughout the duration of the study. The University of Bristol website provides further details of the intervention
Q. What support is available for Sunflower Associate PIs?
A. You can contact associatepischeme@nihr.ac.uk or the study’s mailbox at sunflower-study@bristol.ac.uk
Q. What do I need to do in order to enter patient data to the Sunflower Trial Management System?
A. It is important to register on the Trial Management System as soon as possible, before undertaking any study specific tasks. If you need instructions for doing so, please see the guidance video at the bottom of the homepage.
Q. How do I ensure my contributions to the study will be documented?
A. When entering data on the Trial Management System, please ensure to add your own GMC number to the bottom of the forms.
Q. What should I do when I move hospitals?
A. Please let us know when you rotate to a new hospital and we can put you in touch with Sunflower trainees at your new site, if it is open to recruitment.
Q. Does my local surgical research collaborative know about the Sunflower study?
A. Yes, we are in touch with leads at all 15 UK surgical research collaboratives. Please email sunflower-study@bristol.ac.uk for details of your collaborative.
Q. Will there be any opportunities to contribute to publications during the course of the study?
A. Yes, we are designing and delivering a variety of sub-studies. Some of these are instigated by the Sunflower study team and others by trainees. If you would like to put forward an idea, we would very much like to hear from you! Please email sunflower-study@bristol.ac.uk, lucy.scott7@nhs.net, or h.byrne1@nhs.net