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Health care workers can join new research community

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The Healthcare Worker Exposure Response & Outcomes (HERO) Registry is inviting U.S. health care 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 health care 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.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of stress for front line health care workers across Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine,” said Dr. Cynthia Chuang, chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. “The HERO Registry is a way for our faculty and staff to fight the pandemic by participating in research that answers critical questions about how to protect ourselves.”

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 health care workers. Participating sites within PCORnet®, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network will use the registry to recruit 15,000 health care workers to participate. The registry will also be used for other clinical trials and research studies that address unmet needs for health care 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. Health care 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.

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 heroesresearch.org.

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