As well as supporting current researchers, ACPGBI and BDRF have invested in the next generation through the GRANULE Workshops for medical students.
GRANULE (GeneRAtiNg sUrgicaL rEcruiters for randomised trials) workshops were led by Aneel Bhangu and funded by BDRF. The workshops aim to create a generation of early career surgeons who are better equipped to recognise equipoise, communicate uncertainty, and recruit patients to clinical trials.
The first course was held in May 2016 at the Royal College of Surgeons and was framed around real examples of trials in gastro-intestinal surgery, with 20 medical student delegates and a faculty of chief investigators and trial recruiters. All delegates completed online Good Clinical Practice certification prior to course entry. The course offered unique training with simulated scenarios and trained actors to allow students to demonstrate their ability to communicate clinical equipoise, risks and benefits and to gain consent for participation in trials.
