Is there a role for healthcare scientists in primary care?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Advancing the Role of Scientists: Professional Integration and the Future for Primary Care Supporting Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease
IRAS ID
259203
Contact name
JASON MANSELL
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND (UWE)
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
Around 15 million people in England have long term conditions including chronic kidney disease (CKD) accounting for up to 70% of expenditure on NHS healthcare costs. Much monitoring in patients with mild or moderate CKD is undertaken in primary care by GPs and nurses. Monitoring includes regular blood and urine testing and patients with CKD need education about test results and their potential implications in order to help with self-management of the condition. Online interventions designed for patients with CKD are currently available, but there is little evidence that these are used widely. This study aims to explore whether there a role for Healthcare Scientists to be professionally integrated into primary care to support patients with CKD. The objectives are to describe how patients with CKD are currently managed in primary care and to identify gaps in provision from the perspectives of patients, primary and secondary care health professionals.
This research will use mixed-methods, comprising telephone interviews followed by two purpose-designed online questionnaire surveys; one for health professionals and one for patients with CKD. Potential respondents for the health professional survey will be identified via three professional organisations. The patient survey will be circulated to The Renal Patient Support Group (RPSG). This survey will be available in either a paper or online format. Participants will only have to complete one version. Being a mixed methods design, the interviews will be coded and analysed using thematic analysis. The surveys will be descriptively analysed using SPSS software to inform frequencies of variables and differences between variables. Both the qualitative and quantitative data will be interrogated to assess whether there is a role for scientists in primary care to support patients with CKD and to understand if scientists can build on existing skillsets to improve patient care.REC name
North West - Greater Manchester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/NW/0282
Date of REC Opinion
18 Jun 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion