Effects of service user involvement on personal recovery from ABI
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An investigation into the effects of service user involvement on personal recovery from acquired brain injury
IRAS ID
217552
Contact name
Emma Hart
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Canterbury Christ Church University - Salomons Centre for Applied Psychology
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Involving service users as equal partners in designing and evaluating services is a national government requirement (Department of Health, 2012). However, no studies exist that evaluate what it is like for people who have experienced an acquired brain injury to take part in service user involvement (SUI) activities.
This study aims to understand how taking part in SUI activities has an effect on an individual’s personal recovery from acquired brain injury. Personal recovery is the process through which individuals develop meaning and purpose that allows them to lead a satisfying life even with the limitations caused by illness (Anthony, 1993).We will recruit fifteen participants who have experienced a first episode of acquired brain injury and have attended a SUI group facilitated at the East Kent Neuro-rehabilitation Unit (EKNRU) at Kent and Canterbury Hospital. Most participants will have experienced either a stroke or a traumatic brain injury. Participants should have the capacity to provide informed consent to taking part.
Participants will take part in a one-off semi-structured interview of up to 90 minutes, held at the EKNRU. They will be asked about their experiences of their acquired brain injury and the SUI group. The interview will be arranged within one month of a participant giving consent to participating in the research. There are no other requirements of participants upon completion of the interview.This study is important, as SUI in this population has typically been underdeveloped as people’s complex needs means they are often seen as too difficult to include (Clare, 2003). This research will help us understand the impact of taking part in SUI activities on a person’s life, and may highlight benefits and barriers to taking part. This information may encourage and support other services and service users to take part in SUI activities.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/0479
Date of REC Opinion
28 Apr 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion