CRF-QoL v1.0

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Investigating health-related quality of life in patients with chronic respiratory failure

  • IRAS ID

    270206

  • Contact name

    Patrick Murphy

  • Contact email

    patrick.murphy@gstt.nhs.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    2 years, 2 months, 1 days

  • Research summary

    Patients with long-term conditions that affect the respiratory system can eventually develop chronic respiratory failure (CRF). This is where the respiratory system can no longer effectively remove carbon dioxide from the body and take in oxygen. This leads to symptoms such as breathlessness, fatigue and poor sleep. It is also associated with a higher rate of hospitalisation and higher mortality.

    Frequently, these patients are managed with a device called a ventilator, which helps them to breathe more effectively. Some patients use the ventilator only at night, whereas others use it throughout the day as well. Although ventilation therapy is useful to improve breathlessness and reduce the need to go to hospital, it can be an intrusive addition to someone’s daily life.

    Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important measure to assess a patient's wellbeing. In other conditions, it is commonly used as primary outcome of randomised controlled trials. It is currently not clear how best to assess HRQoL in patients with CRF and particularly in those using ventilator therapy. Recently, questionnaires have been trialled and validated for various conditions that lead to CRF.

    The aim of this study is to evaluate the HRQoL in patients living with chronic respiratory failure (CRF). The specific questions it seeks to answer are:

    (i) What is the HRQoL of our cohort of patients living with chronic respiratory failure?
    (ii) How does HRQoL change over time in patients with chronic respiratory failure?
    (iii) How does HRQoL change in patients with CRF following the introduction of respiratory interventions?

    Participation in the study will involve the completion of HRQoL questionnaires on two occasions, both will coincide with clinical reviews. Patients will be recruited from specialist CRF clinics at the Lane Fox Respiratory Unit.

    The researcher's salary is funded by Breas Medical.

  • REC name

    London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    19/LO/1695

  • Date of REC Opinion

    11 Dec 2019

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion