Exploring the networks of frail individuals within a community setting
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the networks of frail individuals within a community setting who have used a 'Falls Prevention' Service
IRAS ID
218673
Contact name
David Sunkersing
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 2 days
Research summary
Using a population of individuals who have used a 'Falls Prevention' service, an exploration of their care networks will take place. This population is likely to be classified as at high risk of falls - and, as a consequence, frail.
It is the aim of this study to discern the care networks of these frail individuals, i.e. identification of the interactions between the frail individual and those involved in their care (their 'frailty network'). These interactions, which will be indicated by the frail individual, could be composed of (but are not limited to) healthcare professionals, family members, friends or other resources.
This study will also aim to understand more about the interactions a frail individual has mentioned, such as the frequency of interactions and the perceived contribution level.
Lastly, the perceived frailty network of the frail individuals in this study, from the view of the healthcare professionals within the 'Falls Prevention' service, will be compared with the frailty networks identified by the frail individuals themselves.
It is hoped that elucidating an individual's frailty network will aid in identifying key influencers and those that contribute towards effective care. Additionally, a greater understanding of both the frail individual's perception of their network and the healthcare professionals perception could influence care strategies for the frail individual.
Using a participatory approach, which is guided around a semi-structured interview, it is anticipated that the networks of patients will be able to be explored. The software packages ‘Condor’ and ‘UCINET/NetDraw’ will be used to map the networks and help to visualise any patterns that may be present.
REC name
East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EE/0292
Date of REC Opinion
20 Jul 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion