VOLITION in context
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring 'VOLITION' in context - a study to inform the implementation of a new intervention: To facilitate the inVolvement of OLder patients with multimorbidITy in decisION-making about their healthcare during general practice consultations
IRAS ID
253014
Contact name
Joanne Butterworth
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Exeter
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 30 days
Research summary
Feasibility testing of an intervention (VOLITION): To support older patients with multiple health problems in joint decision-making about their healthcare with a GP.
Aim
To feasibility test ‘VOLITION’; to inform the design of a fully-powered clinical trial to assess intervention effectiveness in routine clinical care.
Background
In the UK, the number of people aged over 65 years is increasing. Over a third of spending in general practice goes towards care for older patients. They are likely to have more than one long-term health problem (multimorbidity). Older patients with a greater burden of multimorbidity tend to have a poorer quality of life.
Patient-centred care, such as sharing in decision-making with a doctor, has positive health outcomes for patients, including taking the doctors’ advice about treatments, feeling happier about the care received, and having trust in the doctor. Despite older patients with multimorbidity preferring to share in decision-making about their healthcare, they are currently less often involved when compared with younger patients. This can have negative health effects.
Design and methods
This study is funded by an NIHR doctoral fellowship award.
‘VOLITION’:
• a half-day training workshop for GPs in shared decision-making
• a written involvement-facilitating tool for patients (delivered by post and available in the waiting room).We aim to recruit a sample of six GP practices, with an average of three GPs per practice and ten patients per GP recruited. Practices will be randomly allocated to intervention or usual care.
We will assess any resource, cost, and recruitment issues for a future larger study. We will assess ways to measure the effect of the intervention, focusing around a single index consultation between participating patients and GPs. Interviews with patients and staff will aim to work out how acceptable the future trial would be and whether they think the intervention would be feasible.
REC name
South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/SW/0097
Date of REC Opinion
16 Sep 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion