Pictorial aids and memory recall in head injury patients V2
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Do pictorial aids improve recall of written discharge information in patients with a minor traumatic brain injury? A prospective cohort study
IRAS ID
183498
Contact name
Daniel Apau
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
City University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 2 months, 4 days
Research summary
In the UK, 1.4 million people attend emergency departments with a head injury but 85% of these are categorised as minor traumatic brain injuries and many are discharged with self-care instructions to manage symptoms at home (NICE, 2014). This information is integral to safe patient discharge to highlight warning signs and many can experience mild post concussive symptoms for up to 6 months (Gravel et al, 2013). Despite this, very little research has been done on investigating the impact of these symptoms in patients with mTBI and their ability to recall the information provided at discharge in order to effectively manage these symptoms at home (Samuels-Kalow et al, 2012).
Clinical studies demonstrate the positive benefits of the use of pictorial aids to aid communication and memory recall in patients with similar symptoms of cognitive deficit and memory. This evidence provides an opportunity for exploring a possible beneficial effect in using pictorial aids in this head injury cohort. By enhancing memory recall in the group of patients it will contribute to improving safe discharge planning by ensuring patients can correctly identify and manage expectations of symptoms to prevent unnecessary returns to the emergency department.
This proposed study is a self-funded single-centred study based in the Emergency Department at University College London Hospital. It aims to recruit 200 people aged between 18-70, who have been discharged home with a minor traumatic brain injury which requires no follow up. The first group will be given written discharge information and the second group will be given additional pictorial aids. Each participant will be provided with a patient information sheet about the aims and outcomes of study. They will be required to sign a consent form pending assessment of capacity and criteria. All participants can withdraw from the study at any point without compromising their on-going care.
REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/SC/0575
Date of REC Opinion
16 Sep 2015
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion