Bio-social surveys

We have a team of biomedical workers collecting clinical data.
A nurse taking someone's blood pressure in the home

We know that if you ask people for their measurements or about how much physical activity they do, you often don't get accurate answers.

To ensure the accuracy of our data, our nurses and biomedical workers are able to take a range of bio-social measures. These range from height and weight to measurements that require medical training, such as fitness tests or blood samples.  

We're the only research organisation in Britain to have a team with this specific expertise and we're experienced in the development of medical protocols, training, quality control and liaison with labs.

Increasingly we are looking at how interviewers can take simpler bio-measures, as this offers a cost-effective way of enhancing the scope of a survey. For example, some of our biomedical workers have been trained to measure blood pressure, collect saliva samples and even take finger-prick blood tests.