Just tidying up my collection of random findings in my drafts folder and stumbled across a possible explanation for EC's interest in appendicitis and her general fondness for trials with the prefix 'feasibility' and 'cost-effectiveness':
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/media-library/sites/social-community-medicine/documents/FINAL_C-II hub advisory report_2018.pdf
"The MRC ConDuCT-II (Collaboration and innovation for Difficult and Complex randomised Controlled Trials In Invasive procedures) HTMR aimsto develop into a centre of excellence for high-quality, cutting-edge methodological research of relevance to pragmatic randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in general, but with a particular focus on the needs of RCTs in surgery.
"It is a multi-disciplinaryteam based in the Bristol Medical School, Population Health Sciences,University of Bristol [...] The Hubis supported by a grant of £1,921,689 over five years, which was activated in April 2014."
The Hub has four research themes:
1 -Prioritisation and design of trials for cost effectiveness analysis
2 -Integrative and dynamic research methods to optimise recruitment to RCTs
3 -Improving Feasibility study designs And Conduct to enhance Trial quality and results (FACT).
4 -Outcomes in RCTs: selection, reporting and integration in decision making.
"Committee feedback emphasised that although all Hub members are not doing
surgical trials methodology, it is a special part of the Hub that should be continued
as a flagship theme."