Working together in Long Term Condition management
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Working together in Long Term Condition management
IRAS ID
189098
Contact name
Stephen Timmons
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 4 months, 28 days
Research summary
The effective management of long term conditions (LTC) is widely seen as one of the greatest challenges facing the current NHS (House of Commons Select Committee, 2014). LTCs are ones which, at present, cannot be cured, but can be controlled by medication and other therapies (Department of Health, 2013a). Currently, 70% of total expenditure on health and care in England is associated with the treatment of only 30% of the population – those with one or more LTC.
The House of Commons Select Committee (2014) found an absence of a national strategy to effectively support patients with LTCs in self management activities. This is despite the increasingly high profile nature of initiatives such as The Expert Patient and the shared decision making agendas.
Patients with LTCs face difficulties in continuity of care due to the large number of health professionals who are involved in their care in a variety of locations, and the common occurrence of multiple illnesses.
This doctoral study will identify types of boundary within chronic illness management, how these boundaries are negotiated and managed, and by whom. This will enable assessment of how the policy rhetoric of patient involvement in care is enacted in practice. This enhanced understanding will facilitate the formulation of improved practical strategies to enable health professionals to work collaboratively with patients and their carers, to better manage the boundaries within the healthcare system and enhance patient experiences of care.
Participants will be adult patients with LTCs and staff involved in caring for them, all of whom are able to give informed consent. The proposed research sites are hospital out patient departments providing care for patients with liver, digestive and renal diseases. Patients and staff will be observed in their everyday activities and interactions. Some staff and patients will be asked to participate in semi-structured interviews.REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EM/0442
Date of REC Opinion
23 Oct 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion