Developing an Intervention for Fall Related Injury in Dementia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Is it possible to develop a complex intervention to improve the outcome of fall-related injuries in people with dementia?
IRAS ID
183844
Contact name
Louise Allan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Newcastle University Grants & Contracts reference, BH138009
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 31 days
Research summary
People with dementia (PWD) fall over more often than people who do not have dementia. We know that injuries from these falls cause many problems for PWD, but we do not know the best way to look after them. This is because there are few examples of research in this area. Each person is likely to have many different needs, but at the moment, we do not know what these needs are, or how we can meet these needs within the NHS. However we do approach this problem, it is important to show that the approach actually works and is good value for money. We do this by carrying out a clinical trial. In this programme of research, we plan to do the background work needed to make sure that we design a trial that has a good chance of being successful. We will start by reviewing existing literature and exploring what currently happens to PWD with fall related injuries in Newcastle, Stockton and Norwich. We will also need to ask, “How many people currently have this problem and what happens to them at the moment?” In this study, we will find out what currently happens to PWD who ask for help after a fall. We will keep a logbook of every PWD who sees their GP, calls an ambulance or goes to hospital because they have hurt themselves in a fall. We will do this in Newcastle, Stockton and Norwich. We will check these people’s records to find out if they were kept in hospital, or if they were referred to a clinic. We will ask some people in each place to keep a detailed diary of all the help they We will interview a sample of PWD and their carers to explore their views on any help they received, whether they needed any extra help and any suggestions for improving services. We will also speak to staff and observe existing services to identify additional ideas for developing our new approach. A group of experts, PWD and their carers will then review these suggestions and help us to develop a new approach and advise us on how we can tell whether it has been helpful. We will then pilot the new approach with just 15 people in each area to see whether it is possible to deliver it in practice and to make sure it is acceptable to PWD and their carers. At the end of the study we will be able to recommend how best to deliver the intervention in the future and to advise on the conduct of a largescale study to assess the impact of our new approach.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NE/0011
Date of REC Opinion
22 Mar 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion