A discrete choice experiment for management of diverticulitis.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A discrete choice experiment to determine patients’ preferences for antibiotic management of uncomplicated diverticulitis.
IRAS ID
161818
Contact name
Andrew Kirby
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Acute uncomplicated diverticulitis is a disease in which obstruction and inflammation of out-pouches which can develop in the bowel causes abdominal pain, fever and alteration in bowel habit. Current management of this is antibiotics but recent studies have shown that antibiotics are no better than pain killers and hydration alone.
There is no research on what patients value in the treatment of diverticulitis. We therefore aim to find out what benefits and risks patients value in antibiotic and non-antibiotic treatment for uncomplicated diverticulitis.
To do this we have developed a special questionnaire (a discrete choice experiment) that can determine patients' preferences on antibiotics vs. non-antibiotic treatment, the individual aspects of treatment that they value and whether this varies by concurrent health problems.
To get patients involved we plan to contact patients that have been treated for diverticulitis in hospital by writing to them a link to the survey online or a paper one which they can post back. We will also make links with General Practitioners so that they can do the same for us if they wish. We will also be circulating the questionnaire to online support groups.
All questionnaires will be entirely anonymous and there will be no patient identifiable data collected.
The results may eventually help sway the argument for or against giving patients antibiotics for acute uncomplicated diverticulitis.
REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NW/1461
Date of REC Opinion
10 Dec 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion