Carer 2 theatre
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Qualitative study of carers accompanying vulnerable older adults to the operating theatres
IRAS ID
251517
Contact name
Iain Moppett
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 15 days
Research summary
Admission to hospital can be a frightening, confusing time, for any patient. When people are already confused this may be worse. Many hospitals, including Nottingham University Hospitals have taken steps to make it easier for carers to be with patients during their time in hospital.
For largely traditional reasons, adult patients are not accompanied by relatives or their known carers when they go to theatre for surgery.
Nottingham University Hospitals is trialling a process of encouraging relatives or carers to accompany confused patients from the ward to the start of anaesthesia. This is very similar to what is already done for children and their parents. We know, from informal conversations with staff in theatres and the wards, that there is general support for this process but also some questions about how the process works and the effect this might have on the relatives / carers.
We wish to carry out a formal research study of the experience and attitudes of carers and staff to this process. This will involve observations of the interactions between patients, carers and staff when patients come to theatre, and interviews with staff and carers about their perception of the process.
The results will inform national practice in setting up similar initiatives.REC name
North West - Haydock Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/NW/0641
Date of REC Opinion
13 Sep 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion