GP's & BPD patients

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  The relationship between people with borderline personality disorder and general practitioners: Analysis of Northern Ireland patient Health and Social Care data

• IRAS ID

  184593

• Contact name

  Kim McBride

• Contact email

  mcbride-k15@email.ulster.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Ulster University

• Duration of Study in the UK

  2 years, 0 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a highly prevalent condition. The condition is characterised by impulsivity, unstable emotions and difficulties forming interpersonal relationships. There is evidence to say that people with BPD are high users of health care services, including primary, secondary and emergency services. Many BPD patients are prescribed numerous non-evidence based medications. They have numerous poor physical and mental healthcare outcomes including high rates of completed suicide and suicide attempts (including deliberate self-harm). Healthcare professionals have reported this patient group as being difficult to deal with, often leading to patients being removed from GP registers either voluntarily or involuntarily. The high utilisation of health care services and the high level of dysfunction caused by this patient group pose an enormous economic and social burden on society.

  This project is a cross sectional study exploring the determinants affecting the relationship between people with BPD and General Practitioners (GP’s) in Northern Ireland. There is no direct means of measuring the GP-patient relationship. Data provided by the Honest Broker Service will be analysed to make inferences about the relationship between people with BPD and GP’s by analysing proxy indicators that could portray a poor GP-patient relationship.

  In this study we will explore the effect that GP and patient characteristics have on the following outcomes:
  a)Admission rates to secondary care services
  b)Admission rates to emergency services
  c)Involuntary admissions to secondary care services
  d)Deduction (exclusion) rates from GP registers
  e)GP prescribing patterns

• REC name

  North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1

• REC reference

  15/NS/0087

• Date of REC Opinion

  7 Aug 2015

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion