Routine and Systematic Monitoring of Symptoms: The UK SSPedi Study v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Routine and Systematic Monitoring of Symptoms: Introducing a System into Clinical Practice
IRAS ID
301318
Contact name
Faith Gibson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Surrey
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
This study is a process evaluation of an intervention called SSPedi, which helps children with cancer aged between 8 and 18 years old report their symptoms and problems, and enables their care providers (parents and professionals) to better understand their concerns and respond with appropriate care. SSPedi is available on a website called SPARK, which combines SSPedi with clinical guidelines for symptom management.
SSPedi has been developed and tested with children in Canada, and a cluster randomised trial is currently underway in the USA. However, it has not been used in the UK. This collaborative study seeks to identify what works well, or did not work, with what groups of children and young people (CYP) and in what contexts. This will reveal opportunities for generalisation about how SSPedi via SPARK might be used by CYP across primary care trusts, by understanding its use within a clinical setting within established routines, by clinical teams in real time. A sequential programme of work is planned, starting with embedding the intervention in practice through researcher and clinician co-production at two case study sites: case study site 1- Great Ormond Street Hospital and case study site 2- Leeds Children’s Hospital.
In Phase 1, an organisational assessment looking at how best to implement SPARK at each case study site will be performed. The British-English version of SSPedi will also be developed. In Phase 2 CYP and parent proxies will be recruited to validate the British-English version of SSPedi and use SSPedi via SPARK in the hospital and at home for 5 days. Their parents will provide proxy reports for the same 5 days. In Phase 3 use of SPARK will be evaluated and in Phase 4 the protocol will be developed for a bigger study which will utilise what we have learned from the study.
REC name
Wales REC 7
REC reference
21/WA/0398
Date of REC Opinion
20 Dec 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion