Decision making for heart failure patients who are at end of life
Research type
Research Study
Full title
To explore the decision making process by health care professionals when considering end of life care for patients diagnosed with New York Heart Association (NYHA)stage 3 and stage 4 heart failure in acute medical wards in a District General Hospital
IRAS ID
130957
Contact name
Karen Higginbotham
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Salford
Research summary
The Gold Standard Framework (GSF) set out clear standards on how to deliver best care for patient with life limiting conditions in the last days of hours of life. This was followed by key policy and guidelines from the department of health with the aim to support and guide health care professionals in managing this group of patients. Despite publications, frameworks and tools, there is evidence to suggest that decisions to put a patient with heart failure on an end of life pathway are either happening to late, inappropriately or not at all.\n\nA Grounded Theory method of enquiry will be used to explore how healthcare professionals make decisions when considering end of life care for patients with end stage heart failure. A purposive sample of acute medical physicians with a sub-speciality in cardiology and medical nurses will be recruited to this study. To understand from the user perspective how decision making may affect quality of care patients with stages 3 and 4 of the New York Heart Association disease trajectory will be recruited.\n\nParticipants will be recruited from acute medical wards in a District General Hospital in the North West of England. The inclusion to this study will be all male and females over the age 21years; New York Heart Association Functional Classification Grade 3 and 4. Exclusion will be patients who are awaiting heart transplantation or on a transplant list. Each participant will be interviewed for approximately 45 minute. Each interview will be taped recorded. \n\nThe total number of participants in a Grounded Theory study cannot be know in advance. It is determined by theoretical saturation which occurs when data and analysis no longer yield new variations, concepts and categories. This can vary greatly from one study to another.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/NW/0483
Date of REC Opinion
16 Aug 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion