COVID-19: PRINCIPLE trial for older people in the community

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The PRINCIPLE trial, led by the University of Oxford Primary Care Trials Unit, aims to find treatments for COVID-19 for older people. It seeks to find medicines that can help people with COVID-19 symptoms get better quickly and stop them needing to go to hospital. The trial is recruiting participants through its website and also through GP practices across the UK.

The PRINCIPLE trial aims to find treatments for older people with symptoms of COVID-19 in the community which can reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death.

The trial is run by the University of Oxford and is endorsed by the Chief Medical Officer as a National Urgent Public Health Priority trial, and is strongly supported by the NIHR Primary Care and Ageing Clinical Research Networks.

If you are working in the community or with care homes, here are some of the people with suspected or confirmed COVID infection who you could help us recruit:

  • Care home residents (if still able to give informed consent)
  • Older people that you see in the community, for example as part of hospital at home or early intervention schemes
  • Older people that you are asked to consult with remotely because of suspected or confirmed COVID-19

You can direct potential participants to self-screen via the PRINCIPLE Trial website. People can also be screened by calling the study team on 0800 138 0880. You will find a downloadable patient recruitment poster on the right hand side of this page.

For more information, please see the short video below. 

PRINCIPLE Trial video

PRINCIPLE Trial website

Geriatrician support flow chart

Patient recruitment poster