PRE-OP BIRDS - Feasibility Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Preoperative Behavioural Intervention for Risky Drinkers before elective orthopaedic Surgery (PRE-OP-BIRDS)- Feasibility Study
IRAS ID
192204
Contact name
Christopher Snowden
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 1 days
Research summary
As the population ages, the majority of patients undergoing elective knee and hip replacement surgery are over 65 years of age. Unfortunately, older patients have an increased risk of complications following surgery and the reasons for this are unclear.
Preoperative detection and reduction of risk factors known to increase complications after surgery is therefore becoming increasingly important. Excessive preoperative alcohol consumption is known to be associated with increased complications after surgery, which prevent early recovery and prolong rehabilitation. Therefore any therapy that successfully reduces alcohol consumption before surgery will likely have major implications for patient benefit.
The PRE-OP BIRDS study has been split into two parts; a feasibility phase which will run in one centre followed by a larger randomised controlled trial which will run in three centres.
This application relates to the feasibility phase which aims to create the screening and behavioural intervention to help patients reduce or cease alcohol intake before surgery. The intervention will be used for patients referred for major joint surgery and will help healthcare professionals provide simple advice and guidance to patients on how reducing alcohol consumption prior to surgery could improve recovery time.
The objective is to develop, and assess the feasibility of an alcohol screening and behavioural intervention. This study will involve both development of the intervention and the development of a training programme for preoperative assessment nurses.
Staff and patients will be asked to trial the new intervention. The ease with which the screening and behavioural intervention can be integrated into the surgical pathway and the acceptability of this process to both health care professionals and patients will then be assessed through interviews and focus groups.
In summary, the aim is to develop an acceptable screening and behavioural intervention, which can be applied in the early stages of the surgical pathway, and to rehearse the process for a larger randomised controlled trial which it is intended will run straight after this feasibility study.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/NE/0419
Date of REC Opinion
27 Jan 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion