COUNTED- Communication about treatment in Memory Assessment Services
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The COUNTED Study - Communication about treatment options in Memory Assessment Services
IRAS ID
293174
Contact name
Sarah Jane Smith
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Leeds Beckett University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 4 days
Research summary
Each year in the UK 225,000 people will develop dementia. When people are concerned about having dementia they attend Memory Assessment Services. One of the main reasons people give for wanting to find out if they have dementia is to access medications, which are offered to around 70% of people diagnosed. However, sometimes people have unrealistic expectations about how good the treatment might be. Discussing treatments can be stressful because medicines do not work in the same way for everyone and describing how effective treatments are involves uncertainty. Currently we do not know how healthcare professionals talk about the effectiveness and side effects of medications for dementia.
In memory assessment services conversations are further complicated because the person with dementia may find it harder to understand information. Sometimes this means professionals over simplify the information which leads to further confusion. It is important that people are given the right information so that they can make an informed decision about whether to take the medication.
This study aims to understanding how medications are described to people with dementia in memory assessment services.
The study will examine how medications are talked about in appointments by video recording conversations between medical professionals and people receiving a diagnosis. At the moment, due to COVID-19, these consultations are happening using video conferencing technology online. The video recorded consultations will be analysed to understand the focus of conversations. Follow up interviews will be conducted over the telephone or using online video consultations to understand the impact of the appointment on newly diagnosed individuals. We will also interview healthcare professionals who have conducted the consultations.
The videos and interviews will be analysed by looking for common themes across the consultations and interviews. The findings will inform recommendations for medical professionals delivering diagnosis and individuals receiving a diagnosis.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/YH/0032
Date of REC Opinion
26 Feb 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion