The pre-operative information needs of acoustic neuroma patients

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  A qualitative study exploring Acoustic Neuroma patients’ perceptions and experiences of the information given at the pre-operative assessment.

• IRAS ID

  128495

• Contact name

  Margaret Donovan-Hall

• Contact email

  mh699@soton.ac.uk

• Research summary

  An Acoustic Neuroma is a rare, slow growing, non-spreading tumour that originates from the hearing and balance nerve, which links the inner ear to the brain. They affect approximately one in 100, 000 people and symptoms include hearing loss, ringing noises in the affected ear, dizziness and unsteadiness as a result of tumour growth. In the United Kingdom, people diagnosed with Acoustic neuromas are monitored regularly with scans, but individuals often need surgery to prevent worsening symptoms. One of the most common problems after surgery is poor balance, as a result of the balance nerve being cut during surgery to reach the tumour.
  Balance rehabilitation has been shown to be effective in treating patients after Acoustic Neuroma surgery. Improvements in balance and body senses occur through practising exercises regularly. A delay in identifying patients with balance problems after surgery may result in problems returning to work, hobbies and reduced quality of life.
  In the United Kingdom, patients do not routinely see a physiotherapist before surgery. At the Neurological Centre, in order to 1) enable patients to familiarise themselves with the exercises, 2) educate patients as what to expect post-operatively and 3) encourage patients to continue practising balance exercises, it was decided to introduce balance exercises before surgery. Patients are not currently given any written information before surgery. There has been very little up to date research into Acoustic Neuroma patients’ information needs before surgery. This project aims to find out what Acoustic Neuroma patients thought about the information given to them at the pre-operative assessment and their experiences, including whether they had enough information to make choices and decisions regarding their care and recovery. It is hoped that the results from this research project would lead to future phases to develop a patient information booklet.

• REC name

  West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  13/WM/0393

• Date of REC Opinion

  30 Sep 2013

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion