Intimacy support needs of patients with head & neck cancer V1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Developing a tool to meet the intimacy support needs of patients with head and neck cancer: a mixed method study.
IRAS ID
342349
Contact name
Susanne Lewis
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of the West of Scotland
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 3 months, 30 days
Research summary
Patients undergoing treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC) are often left with facial disfigurement and functional issues related to eating, drinking, swallowing and speech which impacts their quality of life and in particular the intimate side of their relationships. This has been known to cause depression, isolation and break down of relationships. The literature suggests that patients find it difficult to engage in intimacy from diagnosis through to survivorship and struggle to raise their concerns with their health care professionals. Furthermore, healthcare professionals do not feel comfortable or equipped with the necessary skills to discuss intimacy issues with patients therefore leaving this an unmet need for the patient. This study aims to address these gaps through the research design by exploring how and when patients would benefit from support in relation to intimacy problems, how healthcare professionals are identifying, assessing and supporting those at risk of intimacy problems and how confident healthcare professionals are at supporting patients with intimacy issues. Using a convergent mixed methods approach, data generation will involve two elements: Part A will involve an online survey with head and neck health care professionals located at hospitals within the nine Scottish health board areas; Part B will involve semi structured interviews with head and neck cancer patients who have received treatment at one hospital site: Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Glasgow. The Queen Elizabeth University hospital is a key provider for HNC treatment in Scotland.
Carrying out this study aims to add to the body of knowledge about the relationship intimacy needs of HNC patients and understand how to identify and support those at risk. From this information it will help us to understand what is important to HNC patients and the needs of staff which will then be used to develop an intimacy conversation tool.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 2
REC reference
24/NS/0107
Date of REC Opinion
26 Sep 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion