Family Activation Study

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Development of a Paediatric Rapid Response Family Activation Application at a tertiary healthcare organisation.

  • IRAS ID

    314465

  • Contact name

    Nicola Taylor

  • Contact email

    nicola.taylor@nuh.nhs.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    Nottingham University Hospital

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    0 years, 6 months, 26 days

  • Research summary

    At least 85% of unplanned admissions to children and young people (CYP) critical care wards are associated with clinical deterioration. Evidence from the USA and Australia suggests that CYP and their families play an integral part in the recognition of deterioration. It is intuitive to think that families (parents/carers) have knowledge of the patient and their norms, and may sense whether the patient’s clinical condition is deteriorating. This has been well documented in paediatric deterioration where parents and carers recognised signs that the patient was deteriorating before healthcare-staff. This is especially true for CYP with complex health needs that have altered normal physiology, where subtle changes are hard for the healthcare worker to detect. At NCH the Paediatric Critical Care Outreach Team (PCCOT) supports the reduction of avoidable harm through earlier recognition and treatment of the deteriorating child, acting as a welcome conduit between the multi-professional teams, helping ensure CYP get the right care, at the right time and in the right place. This positions PCCOT well to respond to families who call for help as part of family activation.
    In view of the important role families can play in contributing to the early recognition of their child’s clinical deterioration, this study aims to develop a mechanism by which a family member (parents/carers) can escalate their concerns directly to PCCOT. We aim to develop a family activation online application (app) to achieve this purpose. The objective is to enable a rapid response to family concerns and initiate timely rescue interventions as required. The aim is not to bypass, or stifle, normal communication pathways, but to add a safety net for those times when communication has broken down and family feel that their concerns have not been heard.

  • REC name

    Wales REC 2

  • REC reference

    22/WA/0174

  • Date of REC Opinion

    15 Jun 2022

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion