Because you know what it takes to be a HERO, participate in the Healthcare Worker Exposure Response & Outcomes Registry
April 23, 2020
MARSHFIELD – The Healthcare Worker Exposure Response & Outcomes (HERO) Registry is inviting U.S. healthcare workers to share their clinical and life experiences in order to understand the perspectives and problems faced by workers on the COVID-19 pandemic front lines. After creating a profile on the registry, participants can choose to participate in surveys and receive invitations to future clinical trials.
The HERO Registry is asking hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals to join. This includes nurses, therapists, physicians, emergency responders, food service workers, environmental services workers, interpreters, and transporters – anyone who works in a setting where people receive health care.
"Healthcare workers are on the front lines of trying to combat COVID-19. If they are sick, they cannot care for our patients. We are trying to better understand the risks for our staff," said Dr. Robert Haws, principal investigator for the study at the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute and director of the Clinical Research Center. "By doing this, we can keep our health care workers safer, which is critically important during a pandemic."
The first trial, HERO-HCQ, will be available to select registry participants. The trial will test if hydroxychloroquine (HCQ, brand name Plaquenil®) is effective in preventing coronavirus infections in healthcare workers. Participating sites within PCORnet®, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network will use the registry to recruit 15,000 healthcare workers to participate. Marshfield Clinic is the only site from Wisconsin participating in the hydroxychloroquine trial. The registry will also be used for other clinical trials and research studies that address unmet needs for healthcare workers.
There is no cost to enroll in the HERO Registry, which is completely voluntary, and only takes only a few minutes to join. After joining, registry participants will receive surveys and opportunities to participate in future studies. Healthcare workers can participate as much or as little as they like. The registry will follow a protocol developed by the Duke Clinical Research Institute and data guidelines to keep healthcare worker information secure.
"Healthcare workers treat and protect all of us from COVID-19. With the HERO Registry we aim to develop better measures to protect and support them," said Adrian Hernandez, MD, MHS, principal investigator of the HERO research program, which is led by the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), part of the Duke University School of Medicine. "The registry will leverage PCORnet resources and capacity to help us develop fast knowledge to keep healthcare workers safe and healthy, which ultimately will help protect us all."
The HERO research program is funded through a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Award (Contract Number: COVID-19-2020-001). The program is coordinated by the Duke Clinical Research Institute and leverages PCORnet®, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network. To learn more about the HERO Registry, visit https://heroesresearch.org.
