Public health responses must not be compromised by research. In particular, any involvement of clinical staff in research should not have a detrimental impact upon patient care.

Access to potential research participants often involves liaison with clinical staff; some clinical staff also have dual roles, both research and care-related. During pandemics, clinical staff face significant challenges which may make contributing to research difficult. This must be taken into account by researchers who must not compromise public health responses to the pandemic.

Relevant publication:

A qualitative study exploring Emergency Department Staff attitudes to COVID-19 research