PERI-SCOPES version 1

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Peri-operative Surgical Care Optimisation for Patients requiring Emergency Surgery

  • IRAS ID

    351954

  • Contact name

    Susan Moug

  • Contact email

    susan.moug2@nhs.scot

  • Sponsor organisation

    University of Glasgow

  • Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier

    NCT06972017

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    3 years, 0 months, 0 days

  • Research summary

    Emergency General Surgery (EGS) is an umbrella term which describes all patients presenting to hospital with an acute abdominal pathology. EGS is a common reason for an emergency admission in the UK with over 25,000 emergency laparotomies (EmLaps) performed every year. EGS is often referred to as ‘high-risk surgery’ and for those patients that have significant co-morbidity, decisions can be made that undergoing surgery is not in their best interests. This group are called NoLaps and although the majority die, up to 21% survive to at least 90-days. The clinical setting becomes even more complex as for those patients who do survive, many struggle with frailty and new multimorbidity resulting in a reduction in quality of life (QoL). Local and national initiatives have reduced death in EGS, but little is known about survivorship. Further research focussing on these survivors (both EmLap and NoLap) is key to understanding decision-making and improving short and long-term patient outcomes.
    PERI-SCOPES will have 2 workstreams and focus on establishing ways to optimise peri-operative care for EGS patients.

    Workstream 1 (WS1) will report on the QoL in patients and their families/supporters who have either undergone EGS or have needed but not undergone EGS. Their experiences of decision-making in EGS will also be explored. Topics will be explored through questionnaires and interviews within 4 weeks of decision and then at 3 and 9-12 months. This will help us develop Patient Reported Outcome and Experience Measurements (PROMs/PREMs) for EGS using a Modified Delphi process. WS1 will recruit upto 60 participants (30 patients and 30 families/supporters) from the 6 sites in Scotland with the highest EmLap numbers.

    Workstream 2 will explore consultant decision-making in EGS through an online survey (minimum 52 consultants) and individual interviews (between 12 to 20 consultants). Consultant specialities will be identified in WS1 (likely surgeons/anaesthetists/intensivists).

  • REC name

    East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 2

  • REC reference

    25/ES/0015

  • Date of REC Opinion

    9 Apr 2025

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion