Clinical decision aid for transient loss of consciousness
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Development of a clinical decision aid for transient loss of consciousness
IRAS ID
304114
Contact name
Alistair Wardrope
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 4 months, 0 days
Research summary
Transient loss of consciousness is a medical term for ‘blackouts’. This means sudden loss of awareness or control without obvious cause. Blackouts are very common in Emergency Departments (EDs). Some causes are not dangerous, others need urgent treatment. There are three main causes: syncope (fainting), from a brief drop in blood supply to the brain; epileptic seizures, from too much electrical activity in the brain; and dissociative seizures, from an automatic response to difficult emotions, thoughts, sensations, or situations.
About 3/10 people with blackouts currently get the wrong tests or diagnosis. This can be dangerous. People who faint may need to see a cardiologist. Those who have seizures should see a neurologist.
We previously made a list of 134 questions for people with blackouts and witnesses. These helped to differentiate between three main causes. We chose the most important questions and created a computer programme to predict the cause of blackouts. It was almost perfect at deciding who had fainted, and who had a seizure. We now need to find out if the programme can do this when people first seek medical help.
We will ask people who go to the ED with a blackout to answer our questions. We will also ask people who have been referred to specialists for faints or seizures. We will use 100 people's answers to train the programme to predict the diagnosis. We will test its predictions on 105 people. Experts will agree the correct diagnosis for these people. We will compare the experts’ diagnosis with the programme’s.
We also want to know what people who have blackouts think of the programme. We will ask 30 people about their experience and use their answers to improve it.
We have designed this research with people who experience blackouts, to ensure it is useful for them.REC name
West Midlands - Edgbaston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/WM/0294
Date of REC Opinion
17 Dec 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion