The EMERALD Qualitative Study; v1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The EMERALD project: Improving Outcomes in Post-Operative Emergency Laparotomy Care; Phase 1 EMERALD Qualitative Study.
IRAS ID
343597
Contact name
Deena Harji
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Leeds
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 29 days
Research summary
An emergency laparotomy (EmLap) is a major operation that involves opening the abdomen (tummy) to find the cause of, and treat, any emergency problem. Approximately 25,000 patients undergo an EmLap each year within the NHS. Despite a series of national projects to improve care, poor patient outcomes following EmLap remain common. Improving patient outcomes and standardising care following EmLap has been identified as a clinical priority. To begin addressing this, an in-depth understanding of current care pathways, processes of care, and delivered interventions is required. The EMERALD qualitative study will explore healthcare professional (HCP) and patient perspectives of the care people currently receive in hospital following EmLap, including: what is good, what could be improved, and what outcomes are most important.
Multidisciplinary HCPs involved in providing care to patients following EmLap at 6-8 UK hospitals will be invited to take part in an online focus group. Adult patients (≥ 18 years) who have had an EmLap on the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in the past 3-12 months at the 6-8 UK hospitals will be invited to take part in an online or telephone interview. This will be one-to-one with a researcher, with a family member or carer present if they wish. Focus groups lasting about 1 hour, and interviews lasting about 45 minutes, will be audio recorded, then written out, with all personal information removed, and looked at in detail. With permission, some individual patient interviews will be video recorded (so small sections may be used later in the EMERALD project to create a short film; this is to enable sharing of patient experiences directly with other patients and staff, to guide what improvements in care are needed).
The study will run from approx. Sept 2024 to April 2025.REC name
East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/EM/0209
Date of REC Opinion
26 Sep 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion