Valuing quality of life outcomes in heart failure: VALUABLE study v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding which aspects of health related quality of life, heart failure patients value the most.
IRAS ID
256675
Contact name
Helen Hall
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
James Paget University Hospitals Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 4 months, 31 days
Research summary
This study will answer the question: What value do patients with heart failure put on different health related, quality of life outcomes?
The aim of this study is to identify, understand and prioritise health related quality of life elements (HRQoL) from a heart failure patient’s perspective. This information will go on to inform further planned work in this area.Heart failure is usually a long-term health condition in which the heart is not pumping the blood around the body as well as it should. It is common in older people but can affect anyone at any age. Just under one million people live in the UK with heart failure.
Heart failure patients may have the following symptoms: shortness of breath, swollen legs and ankles and extreme fatigue. These symptoms can be helped with medications and lifestyle changes. In the long term the disease is likely to have an impact on the activities and mobility of the person. People are likely to experience a change in their HRQoL.
It is vital that the medical team who care for patients with heart failure can measure and identify changes in patient’s HRQoL. This means they can target these areas with medication or other interventions and more importantly measure if there is an improvement.The tools that are available currently to measure a patient’s quality of life assumes each element has equal value to the patient.
Accurate measure of change in HRQoL is needed to correctly allocate valuable NHS resources.
This study will be conducted in one single acute NHS Trust. The James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (JPUH).We will invite patients who attend JPUH heart failure clinics to attend two different focus groups at the JPUH. These are planned to be held in January and February 2019.
REC name
East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/EM/0010
Date of REC Opinion
10 Jan 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion