Implementing the REP-EQUITY Toolkit 

This research project was awarded the 2024 Birmingham BRC Collaboration Fund

Status: This project is complete

When research studies exclude people from different backgrounds or groups, the research findings may not apply to everyone. This is because different groups may respond to a treatment in different ways. If clinical trials are not representative, they may miss important differences between groups, which can introduce bias and reduce the quality of the research. In these cases, certain groups are “under-represented”.  

Project aims

We used the REP‑EQUITY toolkit in an early phase trial for people with ulcerative colitis (UC) to ensure this research was equitable and representative. 

Working with people with lived experience of UC, we carried out three pieces of work: 

1. A systematic review of international and UK studies to understand the personal and clinical characteristics of people with ulcerative colitis

2. Analysis of UK UC population data to explore their personal and clinical characteristics, and how these relate to their health outcomes

3. A workshop with the HALT‑Colitis trial team and lived experience partners to: 

• Agree the trial’s goals for including under-represented groups in their research 

• Set targets for representation and recruitment 

• Plan to overcome barriers to meeting these goals 

Outputs and impact 

We are preparing two academic papers from the systematic review (one on international evidence, one on UK evidence) and another manuscript based on the health data analysis. We will also produce accessible summaries and a video. 

This project will guide how we carry out the HALT‑Colitis trial, and we will work with clinical teams to explore how our findings can support better care for people with UC.