Decision aids in paediatric dental sedation
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Decision aids in paediatric dental sedation: helping children choose what is right for them
IRAS ID
126826
Contact name
Joe Hulin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
The proposed research project will focus on information-giving and decision-making for children and young people who are faced with choices about dental treatment with sedation or general anaesthesia. The project seeks to develop, and evaluate evidence-based decision aids for use in paediatric dental sedation. Patient decision aids are tools that aim to encourage participation in the decision making process through providing the patient with in depth information regarding the treatment options available, while considering the patient’s personal values attached to these options. The research will consist of three separate stages. The first stage will involve qualitative interviews with children who have already experienced dental treatment with sedation or general anaesthesia and their parents. This data will be used to inform the content of the decision aids. The second stage will involve the formation of two expert focus groups to develop and review the PDA. One focus group will consist of experts in the clinical care involved including general dental practitioners who refer patients for sedation, paediatric dentists, special care dentists, dental sedationists and anaesthetists. The other group will consist of expert patients and their families who have already experienced sedation decision-making. The final stage will involve the testing of the patient decision aid. Participants will form two groups. 30 patients will be given conventional clinical counselling prior to their sedation treatment choice (control group) and 30 patients who will be given the PDA as well as clinical counselling prior to treatment (intervention group). Questionnaires will be used to determine whether the use of a PDA has any on impact on measures of the patient’s and parent’s decisional conflict, anxiety and knowledge. Attendance and compliance with treatment will also be recorded.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Sheffield Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/YH/0142
Date of REC Opinion
19 Jul 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion