Children with LD: Experiences of Clinical Procedures
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Children and Young People with a Learning Disability Undergoing Non-Urgent Clinical Procedures: An Exploratory Study
IRAS ID
195415
Contact name
Gregory Cigan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Edge Hill University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 7 months, 1 days
Research summary
Some children and young people with learning disabilities have physical conditions which require monitoring and/or treatment, meaning they undergo frequent routine (non-urgent) clinical procedures such as blood tests in healthcare settings. At times, non-urgent procedures can be painful and therefore children and young people can become anxious and resistant (for example, by shouting and/or physically hitting out) to having a procedure performed. Recent observational and interview studies involving children and young people without learning disabilities show that some individuals who show resistance can experience further anxiety and upset when their parents and/or healthcare practitioners physically hold them still so that a procedure can be completed. Some parents also report feeling guilty about their involvement in holding their child. To date, little research has been conducted to examine how children and young people with learning disabilities and their parents experience non-urgent clinical procedures.
This qualitative study will use semi-structured interviews with up to 15 children and young people with mild to moderate learning disabilities to explore their experiences of undergoing non-urgent clinical procedures. Children and young people, aged between 6-15 years, will be prompted to create a Talking Mat during the interview which will involve moving symbol cards around an A1 sized surface while answering questions. Completing this activity has been found to increase the amount of information that is conveyed by a child or young person who has a learning disability in an interview. Parents (n=15-20) will also be interviewed to give their perspectives on accompanying their child for procedures. It is hoped that examining the experiences of children and young people with learning disabilities of undergoing routine clinical procedures and those of their parents will inform service delivery in the future.
REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NW/0027
Date of REC Opinion
4 Feb 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion