Eligibility

A study is eligible for participation in the scheme if the condition of interest is a rare childhood infection or disorder (or a rare complication of a more common disease) of such low incidence or prevalence as to require ascertainment of cases on a national scale in order to generate sufficient numbers for study. The BPSU Executive Committee may also consider inclusion of short-term or geographically limited studies of comparatively more common conditions.

Consideration of suitability takes into account:

• The public health and scientific importance of the study
• The feasibility and acceptability of the methodology to be employed
• Whether the BPSU is the most appropriate means of ascertainment
• Whether there are mechanisms for validation. Studies depending on reporting of patients immediately after admission, for example, are generally less suitable, although arrangements for immediate reporting by telephone have been made for some studies.

Studies must have

• Relevant ethical approval before they can commence
• Ethics and Confidentiality Committee approval
• Proof of adequate funding and organisational arrangements to achieve the investigators' objectives

Studies will not usually be considered if they are

• Expecting more than 400 cases a year
• Clinical trials
• Case control studies
• Developing a registry
• Requiring long-term follow up (more than 2 years)
• Requiring retrospective reporting

There is a two phase application procedure to the BPSU.

• Phase 1
• If approved a more detailed Phase 2 application will be sought

• For more details of the application process please download The BPSU Study Application Handbook

Applications must be submitted at least a month prior to the date of a BPSU meeting.

If you are interested in applying for the inclusion of a study in the BPSU scheme you should make informal enquiries to:

Richard Lynn, Scientific Coordinator
Tel: 020 7092 6173/4 or
E-mail: bpsu@rcpch.ac.uk

Richard will be happy to discuss protocols at the design stage.