Sharing Information at the Primary / Secondary care interface (SHIPS)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The SHIPS Study: Sharing Information at the Primary / Secondary care interface – improving patient care by ensuring that GPs get the information they need when someone is discharged from hospital
IRAS ID
308896
Contact name
Lucy Pocock
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bristol
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 1 months, 28 days
Research summary
The aim of this research is to understand what information should be shared with General Practitioners (GPs) after a hospital stay, and how it might best be shared.
GPs find it challenging to identify patients with advanced illness, who might have limited life expectancy. My previous research has found that GPs would welcome clear communication from hospital specialists concerning these patients.
Communication of this information to GPs enables better continuity and coordination of care. Advance care planning discussions can then enable patients’ wishes to be identified and respected, including preferences for place of care and death, and future admission avoidance.
Little is known about what information should be shared with GPs when patients with advanced illness are discharged from hospital, or how it should be shared. The SHaring Information at the Primary/Secondary care interface (SHIPS) study will look into this in two ways:
1. A review of the literature on the different ways that hospitals share this information, and whether these methods make a difference to patient care. This review is in the final stages and the findings have been used to inform part 2.
2. To understand what helps or hinders this communication, data will be collected on a range of hospital wards across four hospitals. Detailed observations will be made of interactions between clinicians when discussing the sharing of information with GPs and anonymised examples of these communications will be collected. Interviews will be undertaken with patients and carers, hospital clinicians and GPs, about their views and experiences of sharing and/or receiving this information.This study has been developed with the Bristol Palliative and End of Life Care PPI Advisory Panel, who have reviewed all patient-facing materials. Members of the panel will continue to be involved during the study to provide oversight and co-produce a patient-facing publication of study findings.
REC name
East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/EM/0238
Date of REC Opinion
20 Dec 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion