COPD patients' networks and medicine-taking after discharge (v 1.1)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Examining the role that social networks play in helping COPD patients take their medicines after hospital discharge
IRAS ID
196250
Contact name
Ellen Ingrid Schafheutle
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 9 days
Research summary
Self-care has become increasingly important as the number of people living with long term conditions (LTCs) has risen. Managing medicines is a challenging component of self-care for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD); non-adherence to medicines after hospital discharge can cause readmission. A growing understanding about the role that patients' family, friends and healthcare professionals (called social networks) play in the management of LTCs has developed. Research by Cheraghi-Sohi identified four types of medication work performed by social networks in the management of diabetes, coronary heart disease and arthritis. This study aims to understand the nature of medication work performed in COPD and how COPD patients and their social networks manage this work after leaving hospital. This understanding will help identify points of intervention to optimise the use and benefit of medicines after leaving hospital, with the potential to reduce hospital readmissions. The study will interview up to 15 COPD patients (≥18 years) discharged from the assessment and specialist wards at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust. The clinical care team will identify participants from their medical records. Patients without a strong verbal command of the English language, lacking capacity to consent and with previous reported misbehaviour will be excluded. Interviews, lasting up to one hour, will explore the nature of the medication work performed, identify the social network members that COPD patients utilise, explore the reasons for this and describe their role(s) following discharge. More specifically participants will be asked about their daily medication routines and the role their social networks play in taking their medicines. The interviews will be conducted at a location convenient to participants (e.g., their home, by telephone) and audio-recorded with participants’ consent. Template analysis using NVivo version 10 will be performed. The research is funded by a National Institute for Health Research personal training award.
REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/WM/0039
Date of REC Opinion
25 Jan 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion