Salud has today presented, at the Lezkairu health centre, the national IMPaCT cohort project, which will run for 20 years

The regional Minister of Health, Fernando Domínguez, today chaired the presentation of the IMPaCT cohort study, which aims to carry out an exhaustive health study of 200,000 people representative of the Spanish population over the next 20 years (4000 in Navarra), to better understand the origin of the main diseases, thus helping to prevent and treat them and promoting personalised and precision medicine, at the Lezkairu health centre. Patricia Palacio and Óscar Lecea, principal investigator and collaborator of the study in Navarra, respectively, and the Primary Care manager Susana Miranda, also participated in the event.

The initiative is promoted nationally by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, coordinated by the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CIBER), and 21 institutions and primary care services from all the Autonomous Communities and Cities are participating in it. In Navarra, IMPaCT cohort is managed by the Navarrabiomed biomedical research centre – Fundación Miguel Servet and, in turn, Primary Care of the Servicio Navarro de Salud – Osasunbidea coordinates and carries out the study, with the Lezkairu health centre as a node of the project. 

Randomised sample of 4000 people from 4 health centres

Over the next five years, 4000 people residing in Navarra aged between 16 and 79 years from four health centres are expected to join the study: Lezkairu, Segundo Ensanche, Milagrosa and Valle de Aranguren. To guarantee an accurate representation of the Spanish population, the participants are chosen at random, which why a person cannot volunteer to participate in IMPaCT cohort. 

At the beginning of their participation, and once every five years thereafter, they will undergo a complete physical examination at the Lezkairu health centre, answer a detailed health questionnaire, and have biological samples taken. Additionally, more frequent follow-up contacts will be made by phone or mobile applications. All this information will be complement that already available in the clinical or statistical databases of the SNS-O. 

As the Health Minister has emphasized, “the collaboration of citizens is essential. We are confident that the people contacted by Lezkairu understand the potential of the project, which will have an impact on improving the health of the entire population, and will participate if invited.” 
To date, the study has recruited ten people out of the 4000 that make up the randomized sample from Navarra. People selected by the SNS-O will receive a text message indicating that they will be contacted by the Lezkairu health centre to invite them to participate in the study and will be sent a link to the project’s information website where they can find all the details. The message will be addressed to “Health Communications” and will have the following text, both in its Spanish and Basque versions:

• [Name + initials surnames]: We are carrying out a study on the health of the population of Navarra called IMPaCT cohort. We will call you from the Lezkairu health centre to invite you to participate. + information:  portalsalud.navarra.es/es/cohorte
• [Izena + hasierako abizenak]: Nafarroako biztanleriaren osasunari buruzko azterlan bat egiten ari gara IMPaCT Kohortea. Lezkairuko Osasun Zentroak parte hartzera gonbidatzeko deituko dizu. Informazio +: portalsalud.navarra.es/eu/kohortea

Relevance of the research

The SNS-O Primary Care medical professionals Patricia Palacio and Óscar Lecea lead the research in Navarra and emphasize the importance of the study: “IMPaCT cohort will mark a before and after in the way biomedical research is carried out in Spain. The data obtained will allow the scientific community to better understand how to prevent the main diseases and deterioration associated with age, injuries and disability.”

The availability of a dynamic record of individual and population-based, clinical, genetic and epidemiological data and lifestyle habits, will allow the construction of predictive models of disease,the  identification of health inequalities, the monitoring of key indicators and evaluating the impact of health policies.

Successful examples can be found in other countries, such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden or the USA. These cohorts have biological samples and very extensive epidemiological information - including social and economic factors - and constitute the basic tool for progress in prevention and personalised attention. As such, the IMPaCT cohort will allow a qualitative leap in research on precision medicine in Spain, thereby placing our country at the same level.