Communicating future uncertainty in multimorbidity

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Experiences and communication of future uncertainty in multimorbidity: an intervention co-design study

• IRAS ID

  316122

• Contact name

  Simon N Etkind

• Contact email

  sde23@medschl.cam.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University of Cambridge

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 6 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  
  Older people with multiple illnesses and those caring for them face an uncertain future due to the unpredictable nature of their illnesses. At its worst, this can result in an overwhelming experience of ‘total uncertainty’ about the future. Health professionals also experience uncertainty about their patients’ futures. However we don’t know how best to talk about future uncertainty, which makes it difficult to come to a shared understanding and make joint plans for the future.
  
  This study aims to explore the uncertainties that patients with multiple illnesses and those caring for them experience about the future and identify how we can best communicate such uncertainties. To do this we will interview patients and carers about their experiences of uncertainty and how it is communicated and addressed. We will also ask focus groups of health professionals to share their experiences of communicating future uncertainty. We will use this information to develop strategies for uncertainty communication.

  We will then organise a meeting of patients, patient representatives, carers, and health professionals to test out the communication strategies and refine them into a toolkit of techniques to approach the communication of future uncertainty.

  We will test the toolkit in a future study, and intend that it will improve communication and understanding of uncertainty between patients, carers and health professionals, reducing distress and helping those with multiple illnesses plan for the future.
  

• REC name

  South Central - Oxford C Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  23/SC/0024

• Date of REC Opinion

  3 Feb 2023

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion