Queens University, Belfast would like to work with patients, their relatives, and health professionals to develop a resource to help older people living with frailty be fully involved in planning for their discharge from hospital.
For this part of the project, QUB invite you to be part of a focus group with older people who have been discharged from hospital and their carers/relatives to talk about your experience of the decision-making process when an older person is being discharged from hospital. We will also ask health professionals for their views in a separate focus group.
Why am I being asked to take part?
You are being asked to share your experience of the decision-making process during hospital discharge and how involved you thought you were in this process. You may be a carer or a family member of an older person you were supporting in the discharge process.
What is the purpose of the study?
The purpose of the project is to find out about your experience of the decision-making process when an older person was being discharged from hospital. We would also like to know how much you felt involved in this decision-making process.
Who is doing the study?
The researchers involved in this study are Professor Christine Brown Wilson, Dr Peter O’Halloran, Dr Deirdre McGrath who are all employed by Queen’s University Belfast and Kerrie McLarnon who is a PhD student at Queen’s University Belfast.
What does the study involve?
You are being invited to attend one focus group with up to ten other people who have had similar experiences. The focus group will be online. The focus group will last no longer than 60 minutes. There will be opportunity to attend a second 60-minute focus group, if required. People attending will include older people living with frailty and carers or family members who may have supported an older person through the discharge process. The focus group will be audio recorded and we will ask your consent to do this. Recordings will only be listened to by the research team and the transcription service. A confidentiality agreement will be in place between QUB and the transcription service. Recordings will be destroyed when transcription is complete. We will identify a suitable place for the focus group taking your needs into consideration. We will pay your travel expenses to attend, including taxi fare option. If you need someone to accompany you, this person would be reimbursed for travel accordingly.
We will use the information you share with us to support further parts of this project. This includes codesign workshops being held to develop an online resource to support people involved in the decision-making process when being discharged from hospital. We will anonymise all information shared so your identity will not be known. You will be invited to be part of the codesign workshop if you choose.
What is my role during and after the focus group?
You do not require any training to participate in this focus group as it is about your own experience. All information shared must remain confidential. The identity of those who participate, and the content of the focus-group must not be repeated or discussed after the focus-group concludes. The research team will discuss ‘ground rules’ prior to the commencement of the focus-group.
Do I have to take part?
No, taking part is completely voluntary. If you agree to take part, we will ask you to sign a consent form. You are free to withdraw from the study at any time without giving a reason. Should you choose to withdraw from this study, you may do so by informing a member of the research team before, during or up to one week after the focus-group. In the event of withdrawal, your data collected up to that point will be retained and used in the study.
What are the possible advantages of taking part in the study?
The information obtained will help healthcare professionals to enhance discharge planning with older people, living with frailty, and their relatives/carers.
What are the possible disadvantages of taking part?
It is very unlikely that there will be any disadvantages from your taking part in the study. However, in the unlikely event that you become distressed during the focus group, the researcher will offer to stop the focus-group interview and recommence when you are ready. A member of the research team with significant experience in supporting people who experience upset or distress will be available during all focus group interviews. If you still experience upset or distress after the focus-group interview, the research team can direct you to appropriate services.
If disclosure of poor practice or safeguarding issues is identified during the focus group this may require confidence to be broken and reported in accord with Health and Social Care Trust process.
How will we use information about you?
All information about your participation in this study will be kept confidential. We will advise all participants in the group that they should not share details of other people’s stories beyond the group.
We will need to use information from you for this research project.
This information will include your [initials/ name/ contact details]. People will use this information to do the research or to check your records to make sure that the research is being done properly.
People who do not need to know who you are will not be able to see your name or contact details. Your data will have a code number instead.
We will keep all information about you safe and secure.
Once we have finished the study, we will keep some of the data so we can check the results. We will write our reports in a way that no-one can work out that you took part in the study.
What are your choices about how your information is used?
You can stop being part of the study at any time, without giving a reason, but we will keep information about you that we already have.
We need to manage your records in specific ways for the research to be reliable. This means that we will not be able to let you see or change the data we hold about you.
How your information is used?
You can find out more about how we use your information at:
- hra.nhs.uk/information-about-patients/
- our leaflet available from hra.nhs.uk/patientdataandresearch
- by sending an email to brownwilson@qub.ac.uk
Link to QUB privacy notice: https://www.qub.ac.uk/privacynotice/Research/ListofResearchPrivacyNotices/PrivacyNoticeforResearchParticipants.html
What happens when the research study stops?
When the study is finished, we will email you to share the anonymised findings of this project. The research team may also share the findings at conferences or through publication in a healthcare journal.
What if there is a problem?
If you have a concern about any aspect of this study, you can speak with the Chief Investigator, Professor Christine Brown Wilson – C.BrownWilson@qub.ac.uk
Who has reviewed the study?
The study has been reviewed by London – Surrey Research Ethics Committee
2 Redman Place, Stratford, London, E20 1JQ.
Further information and contact details.
If you would like to talk in more details about any aspects of this research, please contact:
Chief Investigator Professor Christine Brown Wilson – C.BrownWilson@qub.ac.uk
PhD Doctoral Fellow- kmclarnon01@qub.ac.uk
