S1386
Interdisciplinary - Health economics & health services research
ESTRO 2026
Conclusion: Within this analysis, the provision of extra resource and targeted attempts to re-balance radiotherapy trial portfolios have proved successful in some key domains, enabling broader access. Keywords: RT clinical trials, research accessibility
work reports on a gap analysis of radiotherapy research study portfolios available at two large radiotherapy providers in Northwest England. Material/Methods: An analysis was performed in Oct 2023 contrasting the studies open within the radiotherapy departments at Christie NHS Foundation Trust (Cx) and Clatterbridge Cancer Centre (CCC). The portfolio information from both sites was collated and stratification performed by: Disease siteIntent (Radical/Palliative) Purpose (RT Study/RT involvement*) Study Type (Interventional/Observational/Imaging)Levels of provision deemed adequate were then assigned for the disease site pertaining to each study, i.e. >2 studies - Adequate-provision1-2 studies – Under- represented0 studies – Non-provided Independent objectives for each of the radiotherapy providers were then provided by the SSCN based on the portfolio status, i.e. implementation of new studies mitigating gaps in provision. Further resources for additional dedicated physics support were allocated to CCC to accomplish the aims of broadening the trials portfolio in a targeted manner. The gap analysis was then re- performed in Jan 2025 to assess the impact of the affirmative action. Results: Similar disease sites across the two centres were found to be under-represented or have no available studies, namely gynae, hepatobiliary (HPB) and upper gastrointestinal (GI) (Figure 1). However, attempts to implement studies within these domains were met with limited achievement. Strategies to broaden the portfolio more generally were most successful at CCC where extra resource had been provided, reporting a net increase in open studies of 8% in the time period, compared to Cx were study numbers decreased by 7%. For both centres the number of studies in which radiotherapy was the primary research question increased by an average of 33% over the time period, whilst the number of studies applicable for those patients with advanced disease increased by an average of 44% (Figure 2).
Digital Poster 733
Co-designing a regional radiotherapy research strategy: creating inclusivity through a systems thinking approach. Anna Southworth 1,2 , Daniel Hutton 2 , Amy Hancock 3 1 Radiotherapy, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Preston, United Kingdom. 2 North West Radiotherapy Network, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom. 3 Department of Health and Care Professions, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom Purpose/Objective: Within the United Kingdom (UK), National Health Service (NHS) organisations are required to promote and embed research into all levels of service delivery (1). Implementation of a research strategy is known to integrate research and practice and strengthen research culture (2,3). Driven by the Society and College of Radiographers strategic aim to embed and enable research at all levels of radiography practice (2) toolkits have been developed to support research strategy development throughout the UK (4). This abstract reports on the development and planned implementation of a regional research strategy for the North West Radiotherapy Network. Material/Methods: A systems thinking - appreciative inquiry design (5) was employed to co-design a regional research strategy. A facilitated event gathered key stakeholders: NHS providers, Higher Education Institutions (HEI), patient representatives, industry representatives and Professional Bodies, where the strategy was discussed and developed in line with an appreciative inquiry approach: Discovery – Analysis of existing departmental and NHS trust research strategies in combination with twosurveysto professionals and the public identified priorities, enablers and barriers to radiotherapy research. Dream – Outcomes from Discovery phase were workshoppedwith key stakeholders to identify overarching aims for the regional research strategy. Design –Second workshop with stakeholders identified actions and measurable outcomes to work towards achieving aims set out in “Dream” Phase.Deliver – Workshop outcomes were collated and developed into a regional research strategy document and
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