BSc (Hons), MLitt, PhD
Head of Trial Management
- 51cg
-
- Email Address
- s.c.cotton@abdn.ac.uk
- Telephone Number
- +44 (0)1224 438178
- Office Address
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Aberdeen Centre for Evaluation, Third floor, Health Sciences Building
Foresterhill Campus
Foresterhill
AB25 2ZD
- School/Department
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
Biography
I joined HSRU in 2007 as a trial manager. I graduated from the 51cg with a BSc in Health Sciences in 1993, an MLitt in 1995, and a PhD in 2007. Prior to joining the Unit, I worked in the Department of Public Health at the 51cg.
I am Head of Trial Management/Senior Trial Manager within CHaRT supporting the portfolio of trials.
Previously I was the Deputy Senior Trial Manager and supported a number of studies including RAACENO, EMPOWER and ELECTRIC (all now completed). I also worked as trial manager on a number of CHaRT trials, including ALLEGRO, BICS, TWICS, CLASS, NIAMI, FOCCUS, REFLUX and the Cysteamine in CF study.
I am interested in methodological research that can be carried out alongside existing trials, including the provision of information to potential participants and strategies to increase response rates.
Qualifications
- BSc Health Sciences1993 - 51cg
- MLitt by research1994 - 51cg
- PhD Public Health2008 - 51cg
- Research
-
Research Overview
Trial methodology & trial management
Research Areas
Current Research
I am the Senior Trial Manager within CHaRT supporting the portfolio of trials. I also currently work on the BICS trial - a multicentre trial investigating the effectiveness of the beta-blocker bisoprolol in preventing exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
I am interested in methodological research that can be carried out alongside existing trials, including the provision of information to potential participants and strategies to increase response rates.
Past Research
Since joining the Unit I have worked on a number of trials that have now been completed.
TWICS - a multicentre trial investigating the effectiveness of low dose oral theophylline as an adjunct to inhaled corticosteroids in preventing exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
CLASS - a multicentre trial comparing foam sclerotherapy and endovenous laser ablation with conventional surgery in patients with varicose veins;
NIAMI - a phase II multicentre trial investigating whether an intravenous injection of sodium nitrite given immediately before the infarct related artery is opened reduces ischaemia reperfusion injury in patients with myocardial infarction;
FOCCUS - a pragmatic multi-centred randomised controlled trial of surgical HDU care versus HDU care delivered in an ICU and pre-operative fluid loading in high-risk patients undergoing major elective surgery
REFLUX - a multi-centre randomised trial comparing a policy of relatively early laparoscopic surgery with a continued best medical management policy for people with more severe gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.
The Cysteamine in CF study - a single-centre, single group open label study of oral cysteamine in patients with Cystic Fibrosis.
I also supported RAACENO, EMPOWER and ELECTRIC (all now completed) as senior trial manager.
- Teaching
-
Teaching Responsibilities
I have supervised a number of undergraduate and Masters level research projects, including topics such as provision of information to potential participants, strategies to increase response rates, and outcome measures.
Non-course Teaching Responsibilities
Outwith the University, I am a faculty member on the Edinburgh Clinical Trial Management Course ().
- Publications
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TACTICAL1 Trial protocol: Targeted Abdominal CT in Conjunction with Lung Cancer Screening to identify kidney cancer and other abdominal conditions – A Randomised Controlled Pilot Study
European Urology OncologyContributions to Journals: ArticlesEffectiveness and cost-effectiveness of text message and financial incentives for weight management in men with obesity: The Game of Stones RCT
Public Health Research, vol. 14, no. 10Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
PARTIAL: study protocol for a clinical and cost-effectiveness of complex PARTIAL vs radical nephrectomy for clinically localised renal cell carcinoma randomised trial
Trials, vol. 27, no. 1, 331Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Comparing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of various washout policies in preventing catheter associated complications in adults living with long-term catheters: synopsis of the CATHETER II RCT
Health Technology Assessment, vol. 30, no. 26Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
Intravenous lidocaine for gastrointestinal recovery after colorectal surgery: the ALLEGRO placebo-controlled randomised trial and cost-effectiveness analysis
Health Technology Assessment, vol. 30, no. 19Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a peer-delivered, relational, harm reduction intervention to improve mental health, quality of life, and related outcomes, for people experiencing homelessness and substance use problems: protocol for the ‘SHARPS’ cluster randomised controlled trial
Trials, vol. 27, 18Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Clinical and cost-effectiveness of medical management versus surgery for deep infiltrating endometriosis: synopsis from the DIAMOND RCT
Health Technology Assessment, vol. 30, no. 62, pp. 437-464Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Reply to Zhihao Lei’s Letter to the Editor re: Oliver Wiseman, Daron Smith, Kathryn Starr, et al. The PUrE Randomised Controlled Trial 1: Clinical and Cost-effectiveness of Flexible Ureterorenoscopy and Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy for Lower Pole Stones ≤10 mm. Eur Urol 2025;88:179–89
European Urology, vol. 89, no. 1, pp. e23-e24Contributions to Journals: Letters- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [ONLINE]
Pain and opioids after surgery (PANDOS): Protocol of a prospective, international, observational cohort study
European Journal of Anaesthesiology Intensive Care, vol. 4, no. 6, e0092Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
CATHETER II, a Randomised Controlled Trial Comparing the Clinical and Cost Effectiveness of Various Washout Policies versus No Washout Policy in Preventing Catheter Associated Complications in Adults Living with Long Term Catheters
45th Congress of the Société Internationale d'Urologie, pp. 238-239Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI:
ColoCap: determining the diagnostic accuracy of colon capsule endoscopy compared with standard colonoscopy in patients at risk of colorectal disease: a study protocol
BMJ Open, vol. 15, no. 9, e104661Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
Spirometry to manage asthma in children: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial (SPIROMAC)
Trials, vol. 26, 373Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
PUrE Randomised Controlled Trial 2: Clinical and Cost Effectiveness of Flexible Ureterorenoscopy and Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy for Lower-pole Stones of 10–25 mm
European Urology Focus, vol. 11, no. 5, pp. 684-694Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
Updated Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy, Flexible Ureterorenoscopy, and Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy for Lower Pole Renal Stones
European Urology, vol. 88, no. 3, pp. 231-239Contributions to Journals: Review articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
- [ONLINE]
Clinical and cost-effectiveness of percutaneous nephrolithotomy, flexible ureterorenoscopy and extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy for lower pole stones: the PUrE RCTs
Health Technology Assessment, vol. 29, no. 40Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
Secondary analysis of the Game of Stones trial for men with obesity: Examining moderator effects and exploratory outcomes
Obesity, vol. 33, no. 8, pp. 1432-1446Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [OPEN ACCESS]
The PUrE Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) 1: Clinical and cost-effectiveness of Flexible Ureterorenoscopy and Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy for lower pole stones ≤10mm.
European Urology, vol. 88, no. 2, pp. 179-189Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Text messaging with or without financial incentives versus a waitlist control for weight loss in men: cost-effectiveness analysis of the Game of Stones randomised controlled trial
The Lancet Regional Health - Europe, vol. 54, 101328Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
Bisoprolol for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at high risk of exacerbation: the BICS RCT
Health Technology Assessment, vol. 29, no. 17, pp. i-xvi, 1-97Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
Patients and health care professionals’ perception of weekly prophylactic catheter washout in adults living with long-term catheters: Qualitative Study of the CATHETER II Trial
BMJ Open, vol. 15, no. 4, e087206Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
CATHETER II, a randomised controlled trial comparing the clinical and cost effectiveness of various washout policies versus no washout policy in preventing catheter associated complications in adults living with long term catheters
European Association of Urology Annual Congress 2025, pp. A0090Contributions to Conferences: Abstracts- [ONLINE]
Intravenous Lidocaine for Gut Function Recovery in Colonic Surgery: A Health Economic Evaluation of the ALLEGRO Randomised Clinical Trial
BMJ Open, vol. 15, no. 2, e088298Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Intravenous lidocaine for gut function recovery in colonic surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial
JAMA, vol. 333, no. 1, pp. 39-48Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy versus conservative management for uncomplicated symptomatic gallstones: economic evaluation based on the C-GALL trial
British Journal of Surgery, vol. 112, no. 1, znae293Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
CATHETER II: a randomised controlled trial comparing the clinical and cost effectiveness of various washout policies versus no washout policy in preventing catheter associated complications in adults living with long term catheters
BMJ Open, vol. 14, no. 12, e087203Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Patient and health care professionals’ perception of weekly prophylactic catheter washout in adults living with long-term catheters: Qualitative Study of the CATHETER II Trial
The International Continence SocietyContributions to Conferences: Posters- [ONLINE]
- [ONLINE]
RCT comparing the clinical and cost effectiveness of various catheter washout policies
RCOG World Congress 2024, MTeP-42Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE]
- [ONLINE] DOI:
CATHETER II, a randomised controlled trial comparing the clinical and cost effectiveness of various washout policies versus no washout policy in preventing catheter associated complications in adults living with long term catheters
The International Continence Society, 101602Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI:
Patient and health care professionals’ perception of weekly prophylactic catheter washout in adults living with long-term catheters: Qualitative Study of the CATHETER II Trial
RCOG World Congress 2024, pp. 171Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [ONLINE]
The UK resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta in trauma patients with life-threatening torso haemorrhage: The (UK-REBOA) multicentre RCT
Health Technology Assessment, vol. 28, no. 54Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
Direct and indirect costs of paediatric asthma in the UK: a cost analysis
Archives of Disease in Childhood, vol. 109, no. 9, pp. 724-729Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Text Messages With Financial Incentives for Men With Obesity: A Randomized Clinical Trial
JAMA, vol. 332, no. 1, pp. 31-40Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
- [ONLINE]
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy versus conservative management for adults with uncomplicated symptomatic gallstones: the C-GALL RCT
Health Technology Assessment, vol. 28, no. 26, pp. 1-151Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
The Bisoprolol in COPD Study (BICS): A UK Randomized Controlled Trial of Bisoprolol in People With COPD at Risk of Exacerbation
ATS 2024, A6612Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI:
Bisoprolol in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease at High Risk of Exacerbation: The BICS Randomized Clinical Trial
JAMA, vol. 332, no. 6, pp. 462-470Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
- [ONLINE]
PUrE RCT 1: Clinical and cost-effectiveness of flexible ureterorenoscopy and extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy for lower pole stones ≤10 mm
39th Annual EAU Congress, pp. S529Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE]
- [ONLINE] DOI:
PUrE RCT 2: Clinical and cost-effectiveness of FURS and percutaneous nephrolithotomy for lower pole stones 10-25mm
39th Annual EAU Congress, pp. S537Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE]
- [ONLINE] DOI:
Exploring Opinions and Concerns about the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine on a United Kingdom Online Discussion Forum
Journal of Colposcopy and Lower Genital Tract Pathology, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 117-123Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Effectiveness of conservative management versus laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the prevention of recurrent symptoms and complications in adults with uncomplicated symptomatic gallstone disease (C-GALL trial): pragmatic, multicentre randomised controlled trial
BMJ, vol. 383, e075383Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Emergency Department Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta in Trauma Patients with Exsanguinating Hemorrhage: The UK-REBOA Randomized Clinical Trial
JAMA, vol. 330, no. 19, pp. 1862-1871Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
A qualitative process evaluation within a clinical trial that used healthcare technologies for children with asthma: insights and implications
PloS ONE, vol. 18, no. 1, 0280086Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Randomised controlled trial comparing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of various washout policies versus no washout policy in preventing catheter associated complications in adults living with long-term catheters: study protocol for the CATHETER II study
Trials, vol. 23, no. 1, 630Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
An interview study within a clinical trial that used healthcare technologies for children with asthma – insights and implications
ICTMC 2022, pp. 370Contributions to Conferences: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Trial Forge Guidance 3: Randomised trials and how to recruit and retain individuals from ethnic minority groups– practical guidance to support better practice
Trials, vol. 23, no. 1, 672Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of text messages with or without endowment incentives for weight management in men with obesity (Game of Stones): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Trials, vol. 23, no. 1, 582Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Reducing asthma attacks in children using exhaled nitric oxide (RAACENO) as a biomarker to inform treatment strategy: a multicentre, parallel, randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial
The Lancet. Respiratory medicine, vol. 10, no. 6, pp. 584-592Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
Treatment guided by fractional exhaled nitric oxide in addition to standard care in 6- to 15-year-olds with asthma: the RAACENO RCT
Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation, vol. 9, no. 4Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
ScotCap - A large observational cohort study
Colorectal Disease, vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 411-421Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Use of the oral beta blocker bisoprolol to reduce the rate of exacerbation in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): a randomised controlled trial. (BICS)
Trials, vol. 23, no. 1, 307Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
The relative importance of information items and preferred mode of delivery when disseminating results from trials to participants: a mixed methods study
Health Expectations, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 419-429Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]