Seeking help for breathlessness in diverse ethnic communities.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring how we support people to seek help for breathlessness in diverse ethnic communities. A qualitative study
IRAS ID
356936
Contact name
Gillian Doe
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Leicester
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 31 days
Research summary
One in ten people feel breathless in everyday life. Some people do not know when to see their doctor for breathlessness, or if it is normal for their age. There is often a long delay in getting a diagnosis when people do seek help. Research to understand why there are delays to diagnosis has mainly been done with people from a white, English-speaking ethnic background. We do not know how people from different ethnic backgrounds are prompted to get help for breathlessness, or what would support them to get help sooner.
We aim to understand how people from diverse communities can be supported to seek help for breathlessness. We would like to understand people's experiences of seeking help for breathlessness, to improve the pathway in the future.
Objectives:
1.To explore how people from different ethnic communities seek help for breathlessness.
2.To understand how people can be supported and signposted to seek help for breathlessness
We plan to hold focus groups with people in Leicester from different ethnic backgrounds. Focus groups are a way to collect opinions and views from people about a topic. The focus groups will be advertised in community centres and healthcare centres. Written information and short videos will be used to explain what the focus groups involve. Information will be given in different languages and any travel costs will be paid for so that people can attend the focus groups.
The Centre for Ethnic Health Research based in Leicester will support the researchers to work with different communities. Workshops/focus groups will be conducted in a variety of locations, for example in community centres, to maximise attendance and reduce travel burden for participants.
The information collected will be used to help understand how people get help for breathlessness and what would make it easier or better.REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/WM/0170
Date of REC Opinion
26 Aug 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion