The INSPIRE Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The INSPIRE Study: The Influence of Support on Patients’ Inflammatory Rheumatology Experiences
IRAS ID
346966
Contact name
Ovgun Ses
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Essex
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
n/a, n/a
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 4 months, 4 days
Research summary
Background:
Physicians overseeing the treatment of chronic illnesses have identified large discrepancies between objectively assessed disease activity, as measured by the physician, and subjective assessments as reported by the patient. These discrepancies are particularly important in inflammatory arthritis where patient-reported outcomes (PROs) reflect the patient’s perspective of their disease, and are an important component to assessing disease impact and treatment response in rheumatology. Yet, the underlying causes of these discrepancies are not well understood. Most of the research on the factors contributing to patient global assessments focus on the patient in isolation of their broader environment (i.e., focusing on biological and physiological causes and outcomes) and therefore do not consider other factors which impact patient perceptions of disease, such as day-to-day interactions with their romantic partners. An important type of interaction between partners is provisions of support, which is known to impact how people perceive their disease, potentially contributing to discordant patient-and physician evaluations.Aim:
The current research aims to investigate the role of partner support in chronic inflammatory arthritis and how it contributes to discrepancies between patient- and physician-reported disease outcomes.Methods:
Patients with various types of inflammatory arthritis who are currently in a romantic relationship will complete a 20-minute questionnaire after their routine clinic visit. This questionnaire will cover demographics, relationship dynamics, perceptions of support from their partner, and their experiences with the disease. Following this, both patients and their romantic partners will participate in a 10-day daily experience survey, during which they will reflect on and report their daily interactions, including the provision of support, their feelings about the relationship (e.g., intimacy, satisfaction), and disease-related factors (e.g., pain, disability, fatigue). After the 10-day period, they will complete three additional 10-minute follow-up questionnaires at one-month intervals. Physician assessments of the disease will be collected at baseline and during a clinical follow-up at three months.REC name
South Central - Hampshire A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/SC/0046
Date of REC Opinion
6 Mar 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion