Adapting Palliative Care under a Pandemic (APCup) [COVID-19]
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Adapting Palliative Care under a Pandemic (APCuP)
IRAS ID
282846
Contact name
Richard Holti
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Open University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 1 months, 14 days
Research summary
This project aims to understand how a major urban palliative care service – and related healthcare provision– is adapting its practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be based on a case study from Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT) and will cover both acute and community services. It is rapid research in response to the COVID-19 pandemic involving online interviews and self-reporting. This is time critical research to share practice about palliative and end-of-life care both for COVID-19 positive patients but also others who may be dying due to other conditions at this time.\n\nThis project will involve three forms of qualitative da \nDocument analysis: the clinical partners at GSTT are providing the research team with policy and planning documents. These will be analysed to understand changes in practice, and the role of palliative care in COVID-19 care. \n\nInterviews: the OU research team will conduct up to 20 semi-structured video or audio remote interviews with healthcare professionals (primarily in palliative care). Interviews will take place at times or day or night that suit participants, and when they have access to a confidential setting to speak from. Interviews will be approximately 30 minutes long and recorded with consent. Interviews will be transcribed, anonymised and thematically analysed, by the entire research team. \n\nAdditional participant-supplied qualitative data: in addition to interviews, participants will be invited to submit voice memos and/or short text messages to the OU researchers via WhatsApp. This data will supplement the interview data, enabling data collection of an ongoing and changing experience, and will also be thematically analysed. \n\nThe research team will analyse the qualitative interviews to produce a report on the approach adopted for adapting palliative care processes, and the issues and challenges encountered.\n
REC name
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REC reference
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