Understanding WArd Strain - effects on Patients and Staff (WASPS)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding care challenges and strain from patient and staff perspectives in the ward setting – a qualitative study
IRAS ID
337810
Contact name
Katharina Kohler
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2024/12/51, Data protection
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 8 months, 31 days
Research summary
Healthcare systems worldwide are experiencing increasing pressures as the growing demand exceeds available resources, placing significant stress on these healthcare systems such as the NHS. This stress — characterised by excessive demand on staff, infrastructure, and supplies — has clear impact on operational efficiency, clinical care quality, and patient outcomes. Delays in treatment, increased complication rates, prolonged admissions, and preventable mortality are among the many consequences of strain that affect patients and staff alike.
Current approaches to understanding and managing this stress primarily focus on simple measures, such as bed occupancy. This limited perspective fails to capture the complexity of the issues in less resource-intensive ward settings. Factors like patient flow (how patients move through the hospital), staff workload, and the interaction between clinical and operational demands play a crucial role in these environments.
The insights of patients and carers are critical aspects of care making yet underutilised in treatment decisions. Their observations, particularly in recognising subtle signs of deterioration, can inform timely interventions and improve care processes. By integrating these perspectives with more sophisticated metrics and prioritising equity and innovation, healthcare systems can enhance patient outcomes, support healthcare professionals, and build greater resilience to meet ongoing and future challenges.
The aims and objectives of our project therefore are to:
1. Improve our understanding of the causes and effects of health system strain on patient care within the ward setting.
2. Investigate care challenges by integrating perspectives from staff, operational management, patients and carers.
3. Incorporate these findings into care planning to enhance patient care quality and safety while facilitating better resource allocation.REC name
West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/WM/0080
Date of REC Opinion
6 May 2025
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion