REMOTION
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Remote discussion of emotional symptoms in telephone versus face-to-face primary care consultations (REMOTION): A pilot study
IRAS ID
303031
Contact name
Catherine J. Woods
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Southampton
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression, are very common, and may have increased as a result of the COVID pandemic and lockdown. GPs and nurses have switched many of their consultations with patients to telephone calls because of the risk of passing on the virus in face-to-face consultations. This is safer in terms of the risk of infection, but might have made it more difficult for patients to discuss any mental health problems they have been experiencing, and more difficult for the doctor or nurse to pick up anxiety and depression and offer help, advice or treatment. This aim of this study is to explore how patients with possible symptoms or concerns about mental health (for example, stress, anxiety, depression) raise their problems for discussion, in consultations sought for reasons other than mental health, and compare the extent to which clinicians pick-up on these symptoms/concerns during telephone and face-to-face consultations. We will ask 5-7 clinicians to record a small number of their telephone and face-to-face consultations to explore how patients raise possible symptoms/concerns about mental health, and whether clinicians pick up on these concerns and discuss them with the patient. We will analyse the data using Conversation Analysis which is a well-established method for understanding communication. We will also interview 10-20 clinicians and 15-25 patients, to understand their experiences of seeking medical help or providing care, on the telephone and face-to-face, about mental health problems, and ask them about their views about any communication barriers that might be affecting their discussions. We aim to publish two papers from this research and use the findings to design a larger study in the future to develop and test communication resources for patients and/or training for clinicians to improve consultations involving new mental health symptoms.
REC name
East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/EM/0233
Date of REC Opinion
12 Nov 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion