Research is done to understand what can make people healthy or cause different conditions, find new treatments or interventions, improve the care people receive and ultimately help everyone with their health. Research has had a major impact on living with type 1 diabetes, from the discovery of insulin as the first treatment for the condition in 1921 onwards.
Examples of the studies ADDRESS-2 has supported and the difference they have made can be found here. However, while we have been supporting studies for ten years it can take longer than that for research to be fully implemented in healthcare. Diabetes UK, who fund ADDRESS-2, produced an impact report in 2018 to showcase the impact the research they have funded has had on living with all forms of diabetes since the charity first started doing so in 1938. This shows how many of the things which you may be learning about when you are diagnosed with diabetes have been built on research, and on the time and generosity of people who volunteered to take part in and support research in the past.
As well as this, people who take part in research often find it a really positive experience. The NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN), who ADDRESS-2 are connected to, asks thousands of people who have taken part in studies they support to fill in a feedback survey on what it was like for them. More information and the full report can be found here, but the recent 2020/21 Survey found that:
•93% felt valued by researchers for taking part in research.
•98% said research staff have always treated them with courtesy and respect.
•94% said they would consider taking part in research again.
•96% felt they received adequate information before they took part in the study.
•89% said they had been kept updated during the study.