Pectus Excavatum: lived experience
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An Exploratory study of the lived experience of young adults pre- and post-surgery for Pectus Excavatum
IRAS ID
213329
Contact name
Karen Rodham
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Staffordshire University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 28 days
Research summary
Pectus excavatum (PE) is a common chest wall deformity (Obermeyer & Goretsky, 2012). Three times as many boys are affected than girls(Gasior et al., 2013; NHS England 2016) and although the deformity is present at birth in about 85% of individuals, the defect often becomes dramatically more noticeable during puberty (Molik et al., 2001). NHS England (2016) state that “whilst for the majority of people the deformity will be minimal, in moderate and severe cases it can be associated with psychological distress, leading to withdrawal, social isolation and concerns about appearance.” However, PE has popularly been believed to have only cosmetic impact on the patient. This downplaying of the impact can mean that young people are not referred for corrective surgical treatment.
There is currently a review underway to work out whether or not surgery should be offered as routine for correcting pectus deformities (NHS England, 2016). In the Clinical Commissioning Policy Proposition the evidence for and against routinely commissioning surgical correction for PE is described. However, the questions asked in the evidence review are focused on physical outcomes (like heart rate, lung capacity and infection rates). The impact of PE on a person's emotional (Psychological) state has not been considered.
Thus, although there is recognition that PE can have a negative impact on an individual’s body image, there have been scant attempts to explore the impact and experience of PE on anything other than physical measures.This study aims to address this gap in our current knowlegde by exploring how PE impacts on individuals. We will be exploring patient experience and understanding of PE, before and after they have had surgery
REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/WM/0450
Date of REC Opinion
18 Nov 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion