Feasibility RCT: SMAs for COPD in primary care

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Shared medical appointments (SMA) in primary care for improving self-management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) amongst underserved groups: feasibility randomised control trial in North East and North Cumbria (NENC)

• IRAS ID

  315909

• Contact name

  Eileen Kaner

• Contact email

  eileen.kaner@newcastle.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Newcastle University

• ISRCTN Number

  ISRCTN88389291

• Duration of Study in the UK

  3 years, 0 months, 0 days

• Research summary

  Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a lung condition that affects over a million people in England. It is most common in people living in deprived areas. The main symptom is breathlessness, which can suddenly worsen resulting in hospital care. There is no cure for COPD, so we need to support patients to manage their condition themselves, by monitoring symptoms, using inhalers and other medication correctly and by seeking help only when needed.

  Self-management support is given during check-up appointments in general practice, yet patients report there is not enough time for discussion. Some practices are trying shared medical appointments (SMAs), where a group of 6-12 patients, with the same condition, share a longer appointment. Patients can ask staff questions and share their experiences with the group.

  We do not know how well shared medical appointments work for patients with COPD or whether it is more costly than usual care. Recently, more care is being delivered by video, but we do not know if this is possible in groups of patients. We will test these ideas in a small study to help decide if a larger, more expensive, trial is possible in the future.

  We will recruit 132 patients with COPD and allocate them, at random, to one of three groups:
  1. to attend a shared appointment in-person
  2. to attend a shared appointment by video-link
  3/ To receive usual care

  We will:
  1. Measure the number of patients that take part and remain in the study
  2. Interview patients about their experiences in the study
  3. Test how to collect information from patients about NHS use
  4. Interview staff about how well shared appointments work
  5. Test how to collect information about time and money needed to run SMAs
  6. Use our findings to decide if a larger trial is possible

• REC name

  North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1

• REC reference

  23/NS/0022

• Date of REC Opinion

  30 Mar 2023

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion