A study of adult gonococcal eye infection in the UK V1.0

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Adult gonococcal eye infection: a study of the incidence, clinical features, management, complications and antimicrobial resistance in the United Kingdom.

  • IRAS ID

    338278

  • Contact name

    Alice Milligan

  • Contact email

    alice.milligan@nhs.net

  • Sponsor organisation

    Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    1 years, 6 months, 1 days

  • Research summary

    This epidemiological study will aim to establish a current incidence rate of adult patients with gonococcal conjunctivitis (GC) or keratoconjunctivitis (GKC) in the UK. It will also outline the clinical features, management, complications and antimicrobial resistance. Prospective case ascertainment will be undertaken through the British Ophthalmological Surveillance Unit (BOSU) monthly reporting system. This is an active surveillance system involving all United Kingdom (UK) consultant and trainee ophthalmologists. This epidemiological study will only be using information available from the patient case notes. Ophthalmologists will indicate that they have seen a new case through the BOSU and then data collection will be undertaken within a specific online platform using the data safe haven at University of Dundee.

    The research work will be carried out at one site (Moorfields Eye Hospital), with the data held in the data safe haven at the Health Information Centre University of Dundee. Local collaborators are only required to fill out the data collection proforma seeking clinical information available from the hospital notes of patients who have been notified as have a laboratory confirmed diagnosis of gonococcal eye infection. They do not need to carry out any procedures mentioned in the Standard Operating Procedures for ethics committees in the UK which require a principal investigator to be appointed at each site. Analysis will be descriptive and all findings reported in an aggregated format and at no point will the patients routine standard care be altered or impacted as a result of this study.

    The data will never leave the safe haven. Once analysis is complete, aggregated tables and graphs will be produced in a format suitable for publication in peer review journals.

  • REC name

    London - Surrey Borders Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    24/LO/0233

  • Date of REC Opinion

    27 Mar 2024

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion