UK Researchers Push to Include Care Home Residents in Trials
A major review of vaccine trials reveals that care home residents, despite being most vulnerable to infections, have been systematically excluded from the very trials testing vaccines designed for them. Scientists are now calling for mandatory inclusion to ensure safety and effectiveness for this at-risk population.
The people most in need of vaccine protection have been missing from the trials meant to protect them.
A groundbreaking review published in Age and Ageing examined over 700 articles and 20 vaccine trials involving 7,479 people across 238 UK care homes. The finding shocked researchers: despite being prioritized for vaccination, not a single care home resident was recruited into COVID-19 vaccine trials during the pandemic.
Professor Roy Soiza from the University of Aberdeen and NHS Grampian led the research as part of the WATCH consortium. The team discovered that care home residents face a double challenge: they're most vulnerable to infections due to age and communal living, yet vaccines may work differently in their bodies due to frailty, dementia, and reduced kidney function.
"Care home residents are often excluded from trials of medications that are later prescribed to them, including vaccines," explains Soiza. The consequence? Doctors prescribe treatments without knowing how they'll truly perform in the very people who need them most.
Dr. Selvarani Subbarayan highlighted why this matters beyond individual health. Infections spread rapidly in care homes, and immune responses in older adults may decline faster than in younger people. Without testing vaccines directly in care home residents, no one knows if extra measures like booster doses are needed or if dosing should be adjusted.
Why This Inspires
The WATCH consortium represents something powerful: care home managers, NHS researchers, universities across Scotland, and expert representatives working together to fix a broken system. They formed specifically to learn from pandemic failures and prevent future ones.
Their recommendation is simple but transformative. All future vaccine trials must include care home residents as standard practice. The UK Vaccine Innovation Pathway has already backed the initiative, turning it from academic suggestion into actionable policy.
The research team is now developing best practice guidance to make recruitment feasible. They're tackling the real barriers that kept care home residents out of trials, ensuring the most vulnerable aren't invisible in the research that could save their lives.
Future vaccines will finally be tested on the people who need them most.
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Based on reporting by Medical Xpress
This story was written by BrightWire based on verified news reports.
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