Well-being after stroke: how General Practice can help
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Patient experiences of facilitators and barriers to emotional and mental health care after stroke in General Practice
IRAS ID
230678
Contact name
Denise Forshaw
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Central Lancashire
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 31 days
Research summary
Around a third of people after having a stroke will develop post-stroke depression (PSD), with further individuals suffering from emotional distress. Evaluations of unmet health needs after stroke suggest that such symptoms are often underdiagnosed and undertreated, being associated with poorer medication compliance, lower quality of life, and increased risk of mortality. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines recommend screening of individuals with a chronic physical health condition(s) for depression. Given the majority of the 1 million individuals who had had a stroke living in England receive medical care through their General Practitioner (GP), the factors behind the failure to meet such unmet needs are of great relevance to service design and provision.
The current study aims to explore the experiences of individuals following a stroke of general practice care received within East Lancashire, focussing on facilitators and barriers to discussion and treatment of emotional and mental health problems.
A purposeful sample of 10-15 community dwelling individuals diagnosed as having had a stroke or TIA within the preceding 3 years will be recruited from five GP practice populations in East Lancashire. Each participant will complete the Patient Concerns Inventory tool on unmet health needs, followed by a semistructured interview with audio and/or video-recording. Subsequent additional relevant data will be obtained from the GP electronic care record. Data will be analysed through thematic analysis using the Framework approach, with respondent validation sought. Findings, including the potential for a tool to identify unmet needs after stroke will be disseminated to general practitioners, policymakers, stroke researchers, and individuals who have had a stroke, with the intention of improving the GP care experience and outcomes for individuals with mental health and emotional care needs after having a stroke.REC name
North West - Haydock Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/NW/0648
Date of REC Opinion
24 Nov 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion