Exploring perceptions of blood transfusion in haematology
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring perceptions of blood transfusion in haematology
IRAS ID
159772
Contact name
Eamonn McKeown
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
City University London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 2 days
Research summary
Patients attending haematology day units for blood transfusions often require repeated transfusions for blood disorders, which can be long term conditions (inherited anaemia) or are types of cancer, such as Lymphoma or Myeloma. What patients think about their treatment, such as how much the treatment is needed, or concerns about the treatment often influence how patients cope with their conditions and how they view their illness (Horne et al., 2013; Leventhal, Meyer, &, Nerenz, 1980). For blood transfusion, studies report that some patients were concerned about the risk associated with transfusion (Adams & Tolich, 2011), whilst healthcare professionals perceived transfusion as safe (Amin, Wilson, Tinmouth, & Hébert, 2004; Graham, 2002). This study aims to explore an under-researched area; of perceptions of blood transfusion in adult transfusion patients attending haematology units for blood transfusions, and also of their treating healthcare professionals. A minimum of 13 patients and 13 healthcare professionals will be recruited to complete an individual audio recorded interview and short questionnaire collecting details of the participant, on one occasion. Interviews will be conducted by the researcher (Chief Investigator) named on this application, who has a background in health psychology. Participant recruitment will be supported by a Local Collaborator, such as a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) at the site who will identify patients medically stable enough to participate in the study. Eligible healthcare professionals will be involved in patients’ transfusion care (treatment discussions or blood product administration). Open-ended questions will be used to elicit participants’ perceptions and interview data will be analysed thematically to describe the perceptions and present any differences between patients and healthcare professionals. The findings of the study will potentially clarify how well patients understand the reason for their transfusion, provided by their healthcare professionals.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/SC/0757
Date of REC Opinion
13 Jan 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion