Severe Acute Respiratory Infection surveillance in Greater Glasgow
Research type
Research Study
Full title
CHARISMA: Clinical Characterisation of Respiratory Viral Infections among Patients with Hospitalised Severe Acute Respiratory Illness using Point-of-Care Multiplex Assays
IRAS ID
305823
Contact name
Antonia Ho
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Surveillance of influenza infection is an important public health activity as it causes a lot of illness and death particularly during the winter months. Before 2020, monitoring of influenza activity in hospitals involved capturing detailed data on all patients admitted to the intensive care unit with confirmed influenza infection.
With the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, which has also caused a high number of hospital admissions and deaths, there are now multiple respiratory viruses that need to be monitored. It is likely that influenza and SARS-CoV-2 will circulate at the same time in years to come. Since the two viruses cause very similar symptoms, a new surveillance system involving early patient testing is needed to understand how frequently flu and SARS-CoV-2 cause serious infections that are admitted to hospital, and whether particular patient groups are at a higher risk of serious disease. Additionally, early diagnosis of influenza & SARS-CoV-2 is crucial to allow doctors to give appropriate treatment as soon as possible, and to ensure infection control measures are put in place to limit virus transmission in the hospital.
CHARISMA is an observational study of adult patients admitted to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) with serious breathing problems suspected to be due to influenza or SARS-CoV-2 infection in the 2021/22 winter season. The study is funded by Public Health Scotland. Included patients will have a rapid point-of-care diagnostic test for flu and SARS-CoV-2. Surplus samples (blood and respiratory secretions) and routinely-collected data will be collected to aid understanding of how flu and SARS-CoV-2 will affect people after the initial phase of the pandemic. The data will be used to develop a streamlined diagnosis and treatment pathway to manage patients presenting to hospital with suspected flu or COVID-19.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 2
REC reference
21/NS/0136
Date of REC Opinion
15 Nov 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion