Kay Wang

Project: The DEFINE Study: Development and Evaluation of an online FeNO-guided asthma management INtervEntion in primary care

I am an NIHR Postdoctoral Fellow, based at the University of Oxford. My current programme of research focuses on the utility of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) in the management of asthma in primary care. FeNO is a non-invasive breath test, which is a marker of steroid-responsive airway inflammation. My research explores how FeNO may be used to help clinicians target and adjust doses of inhaled corticosteroids more accurately in patients with clinically suspected asthma.

I am co-leading the NIHR-funded DEFINE study, which is investigating whether measuring FeNO in GP surgeries can improve the management of patients with asthma. 

Project: DEFINE

About me

I qualified as a GP in 2009 and work part-time at the Windrush Medical Practice in Witney, West Oxfordshire. For my DPhil, I conducted a programme of research on Mycoplasma pneumoniae and whooping cough infections in patients who present with persistent cough in primary care. I was Oxford Programme Lead of the NIHR-funded ARCHIE programme (early Antibiotic use in at Risk CHildren with InfluEnza) and Chief Investigator of its central work package: a multi-centre double-blind randomised controlled trial to determine whether early co-amoxiclav treatment reduces the risk of re-consultation due to clinical deterioration in ‘at risk’ children who present early with influenza-like illness.  I have experience in conducting systematic reviews, qualitative research, and large pragmatic observational studies and randomised controlled trials in primary care.

Publications

• Wang K, Semple MG, Moore M, Hay AD, Tonner S, Galal U, Grabey J, Carver T, Perera R, Yu L-M, Mollison J, Little P, Farmer A, Butler CC, Harnden A.  The early use of Antibiotics for at Risk CHildren with InfluEnza (ARCHIE): a double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial.  Eur Respir J. 2021 Mar 18;2002819. doi: 10.1183/13993003.02819-2020. Online ahead of print.
• Wang K, Verbakel JY, Oke J, Fleming-Nouri A, Brewin J, Roberts N, Harada N, Atsuta R, Takahashi K, Mori K, Fujisawa T, Shirai T, Kawayama T, Inoue H, Lazarus S, Szefler S, Martinez F, Shaw D, Pavord ID, Thomas M.  Using fractional exhaled nitric oxide to guide step down treatment decisions in patients with asthma: a systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis.  Eur Respir J. 2020 May 21;55(5):1902150. doi: 10.1183/13993003.02150-2019. Print 2020 May.
• Oliver van Hecke, Alice Fuller, Clare Bankhead, Sara Jenkins-Jones, Nick Francis, Michael Moore, Chris Butler, Kay Wang. Antibiotic exposure and ‘response failure’ for subsequent respiratory tract infections: an observational cohort study of UK preschool children in primary care. British Journal of General Practice 2019; 69 (686): e638-e646. DOI: 10.3399/bjgp19X705089
• Hay AD, Little P, Harnden A, et al. Effect of Oral Prednisolone on Symptom Duration and Severity in Nonasthmatic Adults With Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infection: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2017;318(8):721–730. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.10572
• Wang K, Fry N K, Campbell H, Amirthalingam G, Harrison T G, Mant D et al. Whooping cough in school age children presenting with persistent cough in UK primary care after introduction of the preschool pertussis booster vaccination: prospective cohort study BMJ 2014; 348 :g3668 doi:10.1136/bmj.g3668
• Furuta, M., Sin, J., Ng, E.S.W. et al. Efficacy and safety of pertussis vaccination for pregnant women – a systematic review of randomised controlled trials and observational studies. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 17, 390 (2017). doi: 10.1186/s12884-017-1559-2
• Gill, Peter J et al. Identification of children at risk of influenza-related complications in primary and ambulatory care: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, Volume 3, Issue 2, 139 - 149

Research Activity

• Wang K, Semple MG, Moore M et al. The early use of Antibiotics for at Risk CHildren with InfluEnza (ARCHIE): a double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial.  South West Society for Academic Primary Care Conference, Bristol, 2020.
• Wang K, Verbakel JY, Oke J et al. Using fractional exhaled nitric oxide to guide step down treatment decisions in asthma patients: a systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis.  International Primary Care Research Group conference, Porto 2018.
• Wang K.  The challenge of cough in general practice.  Ninth International Cough Symposium, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, 2016. 

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