The Major Trauma System: discovering the patients perspective

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    The Major Trauma System: discovering the patients' perspective of the impact of intervention on recovery.

  • IRAS ID

    169753

  • Contact name

    Emily McWhirter

  • Contact email

    emilym@kssairambulance.org.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    St George's Healthcare NHS Trust

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    0 years, 2 months, 30 days

  • Research summary

    Introduction

    Networked Major Trauma Systems have existed in the UK since 2011. National data exists to demonstrate improvements in clinical recovery but does not provide assessment or understanding of the patients’ experience of the care they have received throughout their ‘journey’ through the major trauma system.

    Objectives

    The primary aim of this study is to understand the experiences of patients following severe traumatic and injury and determine how these experiences relate to patient outcome. It will explore how the experiences of care within one organisation or department can affect the experiences and outcome at other points of the patient’s pathway and it will seek to provide information from patients that can inform and improve the development of major trauma systems nationally.

    Methods

    6-10 patients (over 17 years old) who have had a major trauma and taken to St George’s Hospital, Tooting by the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance will be interviewed by a nurse researcher after discharge from hospital. Data from semi structured interviews will be analysed using the constant comparison techniques of Grounded Theory. Numerical data for patient outcome from the national trauma registry (TARN) will be used to determine connections between experience and outcome.

    Results

    It is expected that themes will emerge from the data that will provide a rich narrative to understand the patient’s experiences of networked trauma care.

    Conclusion

    It is hoped that conclusions will be drawn that will support a wider study to include patients cared for in all four Major Trauma Centres within the South East Coast Network. In addition, patients taken to trauma units within the network will be identified and interviewed. This will enable differences in experience and outcome in different hospitals within the same network to be understood by the patients receiving care, and it will enable the patients experience of good practice to be shared across the network.

  • REC name

    London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    15/LO/0489

  • Date of REC Opinion

    29 Jun 2015

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion