The Experience of Attending an Online PMP During The Covid 19 Pandemic

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    A Qualitative Study into the experiences of patients being assessed for and attending an online Pain Management Programme during the Covid 19 Pandemic.

  • IRAS ID

    286190

  • Contact name

    Christian Ainsley

  • Contact email

    christian.ainsley@thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    0 years, 6 months, 1 days

  • Research summary

    The study aims to gain insight into patients experiences of the process of being assessed for, and attending, an online Pain Management Programme (OPMP) during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The study will comprise of 4 focus groups of 6-8 adults diagnosed with chronic pain. Two groups will contain participants who have been assessed for and attended an OPMP, whilst the other two groups will have been assessed for an OPMP and opted out of the treatment. All participants will have been found clinically suitable for an OPMP. The OPMP has been created specifically in response to the Covid-19 pandemic as it was not possible to offer a traditional face to face (FTF) PMP due to government guidance. The focus groups will take a semi-structured format and will be facilitated by a specialist clinical psychologist and an occupational therapist. The focus groups will last 2 hours. Depending on government guidance at the time the focus groups are conducted, they will either be conducted online using Microsoft Teams, or FTF. Content will be recorded and the facilitators will listen to the recording and pull out key experiential themes. In the case of focus groups conducted online, audio and video content will be recorded. In the case of FTF focus groups, only audio content will be recorded.

    We also plan to ask OPMP staff to complete a brief questionnaire which will contain both quantitative and qualitative data. The former will be briefly summarised and the latter analysed for key themes.

  • REC name

    HSC REC B

  • REC reference

    21/NI/0106

  • Date of REC Opinion

    20 Jul 2021

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion