Talking about recovery after stroke: A qualitative study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Talking about recovery after stroke: A qualitative study of current practice and exploration of the views of stroke survivors, caregivers and staff
IRAS ID
255197
Contact name
Louisa-Jane Burton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Leeds
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 31 days
Research summary
This study aims to develop an understanding of provision of information about recovery in stroke units, and the views, perceptions and experiences of stroke survivors, their caregivers and staff. A qualitative approach to data collection will be employed, including non-participant observations and semi-structured interviews with stroke survivors, their caregivers and multidisciplinary staff.
We will undertake ethnographic non-participant observations in two in-patient stroke units for up to six weeks in each unit, focusing on situations where provision and discussion of information about recovery is likely to take place, including routinely occurring activities (e.g. therapy sessions and formal family meetings). Participants will include up to ten purposively sampled stroke survivors, their caregivers and up to 15 multidisciplinary staff (therapists, nurses, doctors) per site. Four-to-six weeks after hospital discharge, the recruited stroke survivor and caregiver participants will be invited to take part in semi-structured interviews, to explore their expectations of recovery, and how these have been shaped by interactions with stroke unit staff. Their recollections of information received, their views about it, and unmet information needs will also be explored. Post-observation interviews with participating staff will explore their views around their perceived ability to make predictions about recovery and experiences of communicating this information with stroke survivors and their caregivers. The availability of training for staff in discussing recovery and breaking bad news will be considered.
Data analysis will employ the Framework approach for interview data, to facilitate comparison within and between groups of participants. Thematic content analysis will be used to analyse field-note data. Summaries of the results will be created, to facilitate development of an intervention to help stroke unit staff talk more effectively about recovery in the next stage of the project (a separate follow-on study).REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/YH/0009
Date of REC Opinion
29 Jan 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion