The INDOORS study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Effective primary care: Improving identification and meeting the needs of older 'housebound' adults - The INDOORS study
IRAS ID
170419
Contact name
Elisabeth Kate Abraham
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 2 months, 11 days
Research summary
The population of older adults in the UK is increasing as is the proportion remaining in their own homes. Some of these people find it hard to go out and some may be considered ‘housebound’.
We do not know how many people are ‘housebound’ partly because defining ‘houseboundness’ is complex. Researchers and health care organisations have used various definitions, and people may not see themselves as ‘housebound’ or want to be seen as such. People struggle to go out for different reasons and there are different levels of ‘houseboundness’. Studies suggest that people who are considered ‘housebound’ have more physical and mental health problems than those who are not. Primary care services such as GP practices have a duty to provide equal healthcare to all their patients, however to do this they need to identify those who have difficulty leaving their homes. Currently, there is no systematic process for such identification.
This mixed-methods study will use a cross-sectional survey and in-depth interviews to understand the health and social circumstances of a group people aged 65 or older who are either known to one GP practice as ‘housebound’ or self-identify as either not going out often or not going far on their own. It will consider the health and social needs of those with different levels of ‘houseboundness’ and those who are recorded by the practice as ‘housebound’ and those who are not. It will explore their difficulties going out, what being ‘housebound’ means to them and/or their carers’, and their experiences of primary care. It will investigate the processes of identifying and meeting the needs of people who find it hard to go out within the GP practice. Finally, it will suggest criteria associated with becoming ‘housebound’ to help develop a risk pathway for improving identification within primary care.
REC name
East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EE/0216
Date of REC Opinion
4 Sep 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion