ForME Development (Version 1)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Recognising and responding to cognitive impairment in emergency care: A pump priming project
IRAS ID
147125
Contact name
Sarah Voss
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
Older adults frequently use ambulance and emergency medical services. These individuals are often frail and confused; those with memory problems may or may not have an existing diagnosis of dementia. More than half the people living with dementia in the UK do not have a diagnosis or access to relevant health and support services. Ambulance staff attending an individual following a 999 call may be able to spot the signs and symptoms of memory problems and alert their GP. Moreover, once a memory problem has been identified much can be done to make the individual’s experience of emergency healthcare less confusing and frightening. We propose to build upon previous work in general practice to train ambulance staff to recognise and respond to people with memory problems. We will adapt this previously successful training to create a tool that accompanies the patient through the emergency care system (Forget-me-not in an emergency: ForME). The ForME will alert staff to potential difficulties faced by the patient and assist them to plan appropriate care. During this project we will work closely with NHS staff, and fully engage people living with dementia, carers and other users of emergency care services. We will work alongside patients and carers to address issues relating to the evolving intervention, proposed outcomes and subsequent clinical trial through a process of co-design. This will inform an application to the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) for funding for a feasibility study, prior to a full-scale trial which will determine whether these tools improve emergency care and outcomes for people with cognitive impairment.
REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/WM/0127
Date of REC Opinion
11 Apr 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion