Patients' perspectives of compression textiles for venous leg ulcer
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Patient's Perspective of Compression Textiles for Venous Leg Ulcer Treatment: an in-depth qualitative study
IRAS ID
156535
Contact name
Marianne Hvistendahl Allday
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Leeds
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 1 days
Research summary
This study aims to research the patient's lived experience of textiles used in compression therapy. Compression is the gold standard of therapy for venous leg ulcers (VLU). It is estimated that circa 200,000 adults in the UK live with VLUs. These VLUs are the result of the veins in the lower leg not working as well as they might (venous insufficiency). Compression bandaging or hosiery help the veins to shunt blood back up to the heart. In this way they promote healing (or if the ulcer has healed, preventing recurrence.
There is little detailed, published information on patients’ perspectives on compression textiles to date, although it is known that many VLU patients experience problems with their compression therapy. As the patient's compliance with compression therapy is essential to promote healing of VLUs, it is important to know more about the patient's experience in order obtain evidence to support the development of more acceptable compression therapy.
Prevalence of venous leg ulcers is considerably greater in those over 60; women are also more likely to develop venous ulcer than men, so the sample of respondents will be mostly females over 60 - but not exclusively. These patients will be recruited from leg ulcer clinics and, if possible, the interviews will be conducted on site (alternatively, at the respondent's home). A maximum of 24 interviews will be conducted.
The research aims to gain in-depth information about how the patient experiences, perceives and feels about the compression products they have been treated with, how this has affected them. Also, to find out how they feel their compression therapy and the textiles used could be improved or made more acceptable. It is expected that the unstructured interviews will last for no more than one hour.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/YH/0461
Date of REC Opinion
12 Oct 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion