Introducing a research study looking at ward care following ICU discharge.

[SarahResearchNurse]

Hi! I am an ICU nurse working with researchers at Oxford University and I’d like to introduce a project. We are looking at how to improve care for patients on wards after a stay in ICU. I know from your latest poll that at least some of you have had concerns about the care you received on wards after ICU, so I hope you will be interested in our work.

The study is at a very early stage and work at present is focussed on identifying areas of concern in ward care following ICU. We feel it is important to include the views of patients and their relatives in this work because they are well-placed to give valuable insight into this area of care. We also want to make sure that the research is relevant to those experiencing this care.

This will be in two ways:

Firstly we would like to gather some views about the work we are doing and how we can make it more relevant to those who have experienced the transition from ICU to the ward. To start with, we are holding an informal focus group in Oxford, where we will talk more about our research and ask for feedback on what we are planning and whether we are missing anything obvious! From this we hope to build a group of patient/relative representatives who will be involved throughout the research process. This focus group will be held around the middle of August. We are also considering creating an online group for those who cannot attend a face to face meeting but would still like to be involved.

Following this, we will be looking for patients and relatives to participate in the research by attending a focus group/interview to talk about their experiences of ward care following discharge from ICU. This will start in the spring of next year.

The purpose of this post is really to introduce our study, and to find out if anyone is interested in

a) Attending a focus group to find out more about the study and contribute to the design at this early stage

b) Participating in an online/e-mail group, also to work with us to contribute to the design and conduct of the study, or

c)Participating in a focus group discussing your experiences following ICU discharge.

If you are interested in any of the above, please either reply here or e-mail me:

[e-mail]

Thank you

Sarah

[Offcut]

I am happy to help in any way I can

[SarahResearchNurse in reply to Offcut]

Hi! Thank you for your response. Could you please either e-mail me as above, or leave me an e-mail address here so we can discuss further?

Thank you!

Sarah

[irishnige1]

I was in ICU at the Churchill and JR last year. The aftercare I received was fantastic and I'd be more than happy to help your research. [e-mail]