Patient, carer and acute medical team perspectives' on A&E use
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding the reasons for accident and emergency department attendance by people with heart failure or COPD: patient, carer and hospital acute medicine team perspectives.
IRAS ID
137173
Contact name
Elizabeth Barley
Contact email
Research summary
In the UK approximately 1 in 6 adults suffer from one or more long-term conditions; this number is expected to grow globally. Management of long term conditions is a challenge to both individuals and the National Health Service. The Department of Health have reported that people with long term conditions will require over 70% of the health and social care budget allocation in England and that they are the frequent users of emergency services. A few publications attempt to identify the causes of frequent use of emergency services from patients’ and their carers’ perspectives, and argue that it is their preferred choice during an exacerbation of their condition. Other studies reported that clinicians view these as inappropriate hospital admissions. Therefore there seems to be a discrepancy between clinicians’ and patients’ perceptions.
This study attempts to examine if the reasons for admission that patients describe are similar to or different from those of their carers and members of the acute medical unit teams (doctors and nurses). Few studies have been conducted using this triad. We plan to conduct a qualitative research project to address this. We will interview patients who have been admitted, via accident and emergency at King’s College Hospital (KCH) in London, to the acute medical unit (KCH) over a three month period. Patients’ carers will be interviewed face to face if they are on the ward, otherwise a telephone interview will be conducted. Doctors and/or nurses caring for the patient will be approached by the researcher and asked to complete a simple questionnaire to provide their view point on that patient's admission. Patient, care and clinician accounts will be compared.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/NE/0364
Date of REC Opinion
16 Dec 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion