What’s it like taking part in research? Here is the story of Bill. Bill took part in the DAPA-MI study in the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI).
Bill had a heart attack due to a blocked blood vessel. He was fitted with a stent which helped the blood flow to the heart freely again. Whilst in the hospital Bill had a visit from one of our cardiology research nurses, Joceyln Abernethy.
Here is what Bill told us: “Jocelyn invited me to participate in a trial of the drug Dapagliflozin. She explained what type of drug it was, what the potential side effects were, and what the trial would entail. I decided to participate and started taking the tablets. As it was a clinical trial I was not aware if the tablets were the drug or a placebo (tablet containing no drug).
I have to say that I found the whole clinical trial process to be a very positive and reassuring experience. Aside from taking the drug I had regular visits to get blood, ECG, BMI, Echocardiogram and other tests done. The research nurses and the whole cardiology research team were really friendly and approachable.
One of the great benefits of the trial, was the direct access to consultants. I was noticing that, in addition to losing weight, I was losing muscle mass which was concerning. I wondered if that was a side effect of the trial drug. I advised Jocelyn, who quickly arranged blood tests and an appointment with Dr Khan. I found the process very reassuring. Had I not been in the trial, I would have had to try and get a GP appointment, and then wait some time for a consultant appointment.
In the months after the insertion of the stent I lost a significant amount of weight, got my blood pressure down and the drug trial process greatly assisted with that. The regular monitoring, the positive feedback for the tests and more importantly reassurance that I was getting back to normal health were really helpful.
My sincere thanks to Jocelyn, Pauline, Janaki, Dr Khan for their great assistance and also the cardio team and the rehab team at ARI. Keep up the great work.”