03 April 2025
“New treatment options such as JAK inhibitors are becoming available for children with JIA, and UK JIA Biologics Register data will be key to improving our understanding of their safety and efficacy in children. I feel proud to have contributed to these studies.”
At the Great North Children’s hospital in Newcastle, there is a fantastic team effort to keep the UK JIA Biologics Register studies running successfully. We asked PI Dr Flora McErlane how she and her team works to keep on top of recruitment and follow up.
Research Team
The research team screens clinic lists in advance to identify any potentially eligible participants. Potential recruits are approached during their clinical consultations and provided with written information if they are interested. The research team follow up the initial screen a few days later and recruit where possible.
Data Managers
Data Managers keep an accurate spreadsheet showing when annual follow-up information is required for the study, and regularly check this to ensure require data is input as near to the date it is due.
The spreadsheet is sorted so the next due date, for all participants, is always shown at the top, so there is a continuous cycle of participants to enter data for.
A record of their annual data input is recorded on a separate sheet, which shows the historical data input (coloured per year) per participant, should it ever need to be reviewed.
Participants who are discharged from the hospital, or who move on to the adult service (either in Newcastle or elsewhere), are also recorded. This is so that it is easy to see where participants have gone once they have been removed from the ‘next due’ page of the database.
Clinicians
As a clinician, I am very aware of the impact the UK JIA Biologics Register studies have had on our collective clinical knowledge about JIA treatment pathways. Data from the registries have confirmed that biologic treatments are safe and effective and have helped clinicians to feel confident about choosing a second or third biologic medication. New treatment options such as JAK inhibitors are becoming available for children with JIA, and UK JIA Biologics Register data will be key to improving our understanding of their safety and efficacy in children. I feel proud to have contributed to these studies.
Thank you Dr McErlane and the team at Great North Children's Hospital!