OUCRU-NP
1. History
Establishment of research unit in NEPAL
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit-Nepal (OUCRU-NP) is hosted by Patan Hospital and the Patan Academy of Health Sciences in Kathmandu Nepal and works in close collaboration with the Nepal Health Research Council at the Nepalese Ministry of Health and Population. Our mission within the Patan Hospital, the Patan Academy of Health Sciences and OUCRU-NP is to build a strong critical mass of young Nepalese clinician scientists who can help build Nepal’s scientific and clinical future.
Patan Hospital, Kathmandu
OUCRU-NP was initiated in the summer of 2003 following a visit to Nepal by Prof. Jeremy Farrar after an exchange of letters with Dr Buddha Basnyat (Consultant, Patan Hospital) in the New England Journal of Medicine, subsequent to a review article by Prof. Farrar and colleagues on typhoid fever.
Since 2003, the research collaboration has evolved and OUCRU-NP has become a respected and integral part of the work of both the Patan Hospital and the Patan Academy of Health Sciences. There has been considerable investment in upgrading the hospital laboratories including Microbiology and now Biochemistry, Hematology and Pathology, in the Clinical Research Unit and in the training of young Nepalese clinicians and scientists. Our main research focus has been on the most common infectious diseases affecting patients at Patan Hospital and in the surrounding areas of Lalipitur. We have a major focus on enteric fever (Typhoid and Paratyphoid) and other causes of febrile illness including typhus, infections of the central nervous system and Hepatitis E. We plan in the future to expand this work to include viral causes of pneumonia, TB, emerging illnesses and other public health priorities in Nepal. High altitude sickness in Nepalese and travelers has also been an interest of this collaboration over the last six years.
Research and Publication
Past Research
- Randomized controlled trial between Gatifloxacin Vs Cefixime.
- Randomized controlled trial between Gatifloxacin Vs Chloromphaneciol
- Randomized controlled trial between Gatifloxacin Vs Gatifloxacin
- To Assess the Therapeutic Efficacy of Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine(DP) in Jhapa district, Nepal for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria.
Current Research
- Randomized controlled trial between Gatifloxacin Vs Ceftriaxone
- Host genetic factors for typhoid fever in Nepal
- Investigation of the carriage of invasive Salmonellae in gall bladders in Kathmandu, Nepal.
- A descriptive study of the epidemiology and pathophysiology of Hepatitis E infection in pregnant and non-pregnant women admitted to Patan Hospital Kathmandu
- A descriptive study of patients admitted for suspected cases of Central Nervous System Infections
- Epidemiologic description of enteric fever in Lalitpur
Other Activities
- OUCRU-NP team is continuously supporting Patan Hospital’s as well as PAHS staffs for training
- Organizing various meeting and training by experts bringing here in NEPAL from abroad.
- Journal club in every alternate Sunday.