SPIRAL

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Factors associated with the diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Hypopnoea Syndrome in Chronic Heart Failure: A mixed methods approach

  • IRAS ID

    222909

  • Contact name

    Lizelle Bernhardt

  • Contact email

    lb382@le.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    University of Leicester

  • Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier

    N/A, N/A

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    1 years, 11 months, 31 days

  • Research summary

    Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a costly condition with high risk of hospitalisation. The foundation of CHF management is medication, device therapy and the management of illnesses that co-exist with heart failure.

    One of these conditions is obstructive sleep apnoea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS), a condition where the walls of the throat relax and narrow during sleep and as a result interrupts normal breathing. If left untreated, OSAHS can contribute to poor sleep, poor quality of life and increased risk of heart disease, accidents and health care costs.

    OSAHS is significantly under diagnosed and under treated. Research suggest this may be due to poor understanding among health care professionals and the lack of a validated screening tool that can help identify CHF patients that are most at risk of OSAHS and may require further sleep testing.

    The aim of this research is to explore the factors associated with the diagnosis of OSAHS in patients with CHF.

    To improve health care professionals’ understanding, we need to know more about their knowledge, beliefs and the questionnaires they use daily. Doctors, nurses and pharmacists, with an interest in CHF, will be invited to complete an online survey that will take around 25 minutes. It will help to highlight differences in practice and topics that could benefit from an education programme.

    To understand how well the STOP-Bang screening questionnaire can identify patients with OSAHS, participants will be recruited from the Sleep Disorders Service at the Leicester General Hospital. CHF patients, referred to the local sleep clinic, will be invited to complete a short questionnaire that will take around 5 minutes. A small number of these patients will be invited to participate in an interview that will last around 60 minutes to help us understand what helps or hinders the diagnosis and treatment of OSAHS.

  • REC name

    East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    17/EM/0400

  • Date of REC Opinion

    15 Nov 2017

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion