Psoriasis - A Life Story
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Psoriasis - a life story. A study to evaluate story telling (communicated in short-film format via the internet) as a behaviour change tool in; people with psoriasis, family and friends of people with psoriasis, health care professionals and the general public
IRAS ID
169269
Contact name
Sandy McBride
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disorder affecting 2% of the UK population. It considerably impacts quality of life and is associated with multiple co-morbidities including problems in psychological and social wellbeing and is a significant burden to the NHS and society. Observational and study evidence shows that many patients with psoriasis delay in presentation to healthcare services and that interactions with health professionals are frequently disappointing and contribute to poor adherence to treatment. Interactions with friends and family can influence health-seeking behaviour and reactions of the general public to people with psoriasis can be negative and promote feelings of stigmatisation and rejection. As interest grows in whether early treatment can modify the psychological, social and physical sequelae of psoriasis[14], identifying areas for behavioural change education in interactions between people with psoriasis and health care providers, friends and family and the general public, is highly pertinent to instituting timely, effective treatment.
Storytelling has long been used as an educational tool. Stories are 22 times more memorable than data. The simplest narrative can elicit a powerful empathetic response through release of oxytocin which drives memory and behaviour change. Stories are the like the flight simulators for the brain allowing listeners to experience and understand a situation through hearing a story. Yet stories are not frequently used in healthcare to change behaviour.
We plan to collect real life experiences from people with psoriasis and transform these into a fictionalised story, which will be performed and transferred to film. The resultant film will be evaluated in our target audiences, to determine changes in thinking about psoriasis and subsequent behaviour changes that may promote the seeking or providing of early, effective treatment for psoriasis. The film will be suitable for access via the Internet in order to maximise the accessible audience
REC name
London - Westminster Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/1448
Date of REC Opinion
21 Aug 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion