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The NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) has published a new paper highlighting the learnings from a major COVID-19 research trial conducted in primary care settings. The paper, which draws on insights from the PANORAMIC study, emphasised the importance of prioritising primary care studies from the very start of any pandemic to prevent worsening of patient symptoms and reduce hospital admission. Additionally, it recommended considering the use of UK-wide pharmacy networks, including community pharmacies, to promote research inclusion for future similar trials in primary care to increase recruitment in underserved communities. Authored by Professor Phil Evans, GP and Deputy Health and Care Director at the NIHR RDN together with colleagues from the NIHR and University of Oxford, the 80-page paper concluded that primary care research should be at the forefront of future pandemic preparedness. During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, much research was carried out on critically ill patients in secondary care settings.