Family members’ experiences of post-stroke dysphagia - version 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Family members’ experiences of post-stroke dysphagia: a qualitative study of family members living in London
IRAS ID
239620
Contact name
Melania Calestani
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
St George's University London
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
The proposed study aims to explore the experiences of family life from the perspective of family members living with a person with swallowing difficulties (dysphagia) following a stroke. This will add to the growing body of evidence around the impact of dysphagia on the family, considering the views of family members of stroke patients living in London. This study is important as surveys of family carers of stroke patients have found that the presence of dysphagia is one of the main factors influencing the level of caregiver burden. National Institute for Clinical Excellence and Royal College of Practitioner guidelines state the importance of involving the family in stroke care, considering their wellbeing. Healthcare professionals working with dysphagia often rely on family members to assist with the preparation of food and drink, feeding and monitoring the patient for signs of difficulty swallowing. It is important to understand how dysphagia affects the family member in order that health professionals can support families socially and emotionally as well as practically in order to improve compliance with recommendations and subsequently improve health outcomes. This qualitative study will use one-to-one semi-structured interviews with family members who live with the patient in order to understand their experiences of managing dysphagia at home, how it impacts them socially and emotionally and what helps them to cope with the dysphagia. Interviews will take place either at a community clinic or in the family member’s home, as per the family member’s preference. Each participant will be asked to undertake one interview which will last 30-45 minutes. This study is funded by the National Institute for Health Research and Health Education England as part of the Masters of Research in Clinical Research programme.
REC name
London - Harrow Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/0423
Date of REC Opinion
17 May 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion