Partnership in Prostate Cancer Care: ( ICARE-P)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Partnership in Prostate Cancer Care: the feasibility of an integrated system to improve patient outcomes and experience (ICARE-P)
IRAS ID
171896
Contact name
Veronica Nanton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Birmingham South & Central Clinical Commissioning Group
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 2 months, days
Research summary
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK with currently around 240,000 survivors. Its occurrence has increased by around 36% since the early 1980's, largely due to improved detection, with about 40000 men diagnosed annually. A range of problems may continue for years with men expressing needs that remain unrecognised or unaddressed.
Pathways for prostate cancer patients vary widely throughout the UK and there is little consensus amongst clinicians as to preferred options for care. New models of care are needed that make best use of NHS resources (secondary care, primary care and IT infrastructure) together with those of third sector organisations. Greater involvement of GP teams may reduce the burden on specialist services and enhance the care men receive but evidence as to how to best achieve this is lacking.
The proposed research will test the feasibility of a care pathway that links cancer and urology specialist services, GPs, patients, with involvement from Macmillan Cancer Support.
In this first phase of the study t, the subject of this application, we will interview GPs, practice nurses, specialist nurses, urologists, oncologists to explore views about the proposed intervention, how it relates to current practice in prostate cancer patient management and follow-up, issues around communication between patients and primary and secondary care and use of IT.
During this first phase we will also interview prostate cancer patients from 5 general practices to explore views and practices in relation to self-management, perceptions of the roles of primary and secondary care providers, and views on coordination of care. We will also explore men’s current use of IT, views of the acceptability and utility of the intervention and potential barriers.
This will lead on to the second phase; a non-randomised trial to assess feasibility of a full RCT.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EM/0534
Date of REC Opinion
23 Nov 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion