Feasibility of PROM in HF
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Feasibility and acceptability of using a Patient Reported Outcome Measure (OxFAB) to help patients with Heart Failure to recognise and communicate symptoms to Specialist Nurses
IRAS ID
290473
Contact name
Helen Walthall
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 28 days
Research summary
Heart failure (HF) is a condition that affects how your heart is able to pump. There are over 500,000 people living with it in the UK. Patients describe the worse symptoms are fatigue and breathlessness. A worsening in one or both of these symptoms can indicate a decline in health and is associated with an increase in HF mortality rates.
Research has found patients do not recognise changes in these two symptoms as a problem caused by heart failure, often attributing changes to old age or other co-morbidities. This means they do not seek medical advice in a timely way, often delaying seeking any help. Consequently, they experience significant deterioration in the condition which frequently requires hospitalisation. More frequent hospital admissions has been associated with worsening outcomes.
Patients are in the best position to notice changes in their symptoms but appear to need guidance in recognising significant symptom changes and how to communicate these meaningfully to health professionals. Communication between health professionals and patients regarding fatigue and breathlessness needs to be improved to reduce the risk of unnecessary deterioration.
A patient reported outcome measure (OxFAB) for breathlessness and fatigue in patients living with HF has been coproduced with patients and clinicians, and designed to improve the communication of changes in these symptoms. Initial testing has found the tool shows promise, but is yet to be tested in clinical practice. This study is a feasibility and acceptability study to test how good the PROM is in aiding recognition and communication of these symptoms between nurses and patients to inform a larger implementation study.
The aim of this study is to see if OxFAB is acceptable and feasible to both patients and nurses in communicating symptoms and informing clinical management plans.
REC name
West Midlands - Edgbaston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/WM/0174
Date of REC Opinion
1 Sep 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion