RSV and vaccination in pregnancy
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and vaccination in pregnancy
IRAS ID
220968
Contact name
Christine Jones
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 1 days
Research summary
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a very common virus that causes infection of the airways and lungs. It is the leading cause of chest infections (pneumonia and bronchiolitis) in young children, and is a major cause of admission to hospital and childhood death worldwide. Lots of research trials are being done into ways of preventing and treating RSV, however there is still no RSV vaccine approved for routine use. One possible way to protect the mother and young infant from RSV infection is a vaccine given to women during pregnancy, which would pass protection to their unborn child. This may help to prevent RSV in the child’s first few months of life when they are most vulnerable to infection. There are two vaccines that are currently being tested in pregnant women around the world, including the UK.
With RSV vaccine candidates in the pipeline, this study aims to pre-emptively gauge the knowledge of RSV and potential acceptability of such vaccines amongst pregnant women and healthcare staff working in midwifery and obstetrics, as well as their attitudes (facilitators and barriers) to being involved in hypothetical future research trials.
We propose to undertake a questionnaire-based study of randomly selected pregnant women and healthcare staff (over 16 years of age) at four English teaching hospitals. Pregnant women attending for ward reviews or antenatal clinics will approached and asked to complete an anonymous paper questionnaire lasting around 10 minutes. Healthcare staff will be approached in person, or via email, and asked to complete a slightly different questionnaire lasting around 5-10 minutes. No follow up will take place.
We then, using statistical software, hope to identify factors that might affect their understanding of RSV and attitudes to being involved in hypothetical future trials and receiving the RSV vaccination
REC name
London - West London & GTAC Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/0537
Date of REC Opinion
6 Apr 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion