Valuing the preferences of patients accessing emergency care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Valuing the preferences of the patients accessing emergency care services: Evidence from revealed and stated preferences in Wales
IRAS ID
190032
Contact name
Claire McCarthy
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cardiff University
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, days
Research summary
Background
The South Wales Programme outlining the reconfiguration of emergency care in Wales was proposed in response to unprecedented pressures experienced in Emergency Departments (ED)in South Wales (NHS 2013). The South Wales Programme acknowledges that traditional emergency care services such as EDs are no longer the only method of delivering quality urgent care (DoH 2011). An alternative is to attend an Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP) led Minor injury unit (MIU).The reconfiguration plans rely upon the assumption that the patients will accept and use ENP led MIUs as an alternative to the ED. However, there is a need to explore whether service reconfiguration appreciates the factors involved in patients preferences and choice decisions, when deciding upon emergency care access.
Aim
To explore patients preferences for the use of emergency care services, in order to understand why patients make choice decisions regarding which facility to access.Study Design
The study will involve collecting the views of patients in the waiting room of a ED. The information will be collected by asking the patients to complete a questionnaire. The questions posed by the questionnaire will collect data regarding age, gender, income etc. as well as questions about views and opinions or emergency care.Participants
The research will involve patients who currently attend a traditional ED for their minor injury service and do not currently have access to a ENP led MIU. Such patients will have access to an ENP led MIU in future reconfiguration of emergency care.Study outcome and impact
This research will endeavour to investigate whether factors such as income, occupation, age, gender etc. influence patients preferences for use of emergency care services. The findings from this research will inform decision makers in the development of future health care services and policy decisions on the effective use of scarce health resources.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Sheffield Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/YH/0557
Date of REC Opinion
27 Jan 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion