This document provides a fully accessible transcript for the video 'Patient perspective: Taking part in RELIEVE IBS-D - a fully virtual, commercial trial.'
Text on screen: Pushing virtual boundaries to improve patient engagement and accessibility
Carly:
My name is Carly. I have been a participant for the IBS-D study for the past few months. I first found out about it at the back of the toilet door at my local hospital when I was going for a physio appointment for something else. It really interested me because I have always had problems with my stomach or my bowels ever since I was a teenager. And it was always just a case of, "Oh, you've got IBS, you've got IBS. Just watch what you eat. You'll be fine. You'll be fine."
Text on screen: Participants were empowered to volunteer for the trial by signing up to a research registry
Carly:
I haven't been involved with any medical research trials or anything else prior to this. This was my first experience. I'd never thought to sign up to anything else, but I just literally saw the poster and thought, "Okay, this is worth a shot just to see what the situation is, and what other treatments out there could be possible for me," because this particular problem of IBS-D, there isn't masses to cure you, as such.
Carly:
I would say being involved in the trial has had a massive impact on my personal health. I was very lucky to have the medication or the substance or whatever you want to call it in the blind phase. And it worked pretty much within 24 hours. So from going to the toilet about 12, 15 times a day, to twice a day was huge for me, personally. It also meant professionally from a work point of view, I wasn't having to go to the toilet all the time, which was great.
Text on screen: The remote, virtual delivery of the trial enabled Carly to fit taking part in the trial around her busy lifestyle
Carly:
What made me want to sign up to this study as opposed to other studies was because it was a virtual study, and I didn't have to travel anywhere. I could do it from the comfort of my own home and fit it around my schedule.
Text on screen: The remote delivery of the trial increased accessibility by eliminating geographical exclusion
Carly:
If this trial was not virtual, it probably would've been not possible for me to get involved, as I live hundreds and hundreds of miles away from Newcastle. It wouldn't have fit around my busy lifestyle, working full time. I've got two young children, a dog and a cat and a husband to go with that. There's no way I would've been able to travel backwards and forwards or take part if it wasn't virtual. So it made absolute sense for me to go for something virtual.
Text on screen: Digital solutions replaced the need for face-to-face clinical visits
Carly:
And just having the reminder text messages to fill in my diary was useful as well, because it meant that, okay, if I was busy doing something, "Okay, it's two minutes past six now. I've got a text message. I need to fill this in now," which was really, really useful. But also having the regular calls, the video calls with Hazel and the team and the professors really been good, because it's meant that I don't have to leave my a house to do this. So it's had such a really positive impact on me, and it's something that I would, going forward, I would definitely do it again. So I think it's really good that we can reach a wider audience of people through doing a virtual study. I think it's something that's definitely needed, and I think going forward it's ... Yeah, it's definitely going to change the way that people take part in research trials. I think it's really valuable, and I think it's something that for the healthcare system it will be fantastic.
Text on screen: NIHR. For more information visit: www.nihr.ac.uk