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Contact the study team using the details below to take part. If there are no contact details below please ask your doctor in the first instance.
Dr
Victoria
Welsh
v.welsh@cphc.keele.ac.uk
Helen
Wright
h.wright1@keele.ac.uk
Alice
Faux-Nightingale
a.faux-nightingale@keele.ac.uk
Helen
Wright
h.wright1@keele.ac.uk
Victoria
Welsh
v.welsh@keele.ac.uk
Victoria
Welsh
v.welsh@keele.ac.uk
General symptoms and signs
This information is provided directly by researchers, and we recognise that it isn't always easy to understand. We are working with researchers to improve the accessibility of this information. In some summaries, you may come across links to external websites. These websites will have more information to help you better understand the study.
Chronic or persistent pain is pain that has lasted more than 3 months. In the oldest old, those aged 85 years and older, persistent pain is common and often difficult to manage. Guidelines recommend approaches to pain management that do not involve medication (e.g., exercise). However, healthcare professionals (HCPs) continue to prescribe painkillers, such as opioids, despite associated adverse side effects and limited scientific evidence to support their long-term effectiveness.
HCPs need support to move away from prescribing opioids in the oldest old. To better support HCPs, we need to understand the values and beliefs of patients, their families and HCPs towards prescribing opioid medication. Only then can we start to develop support for HCPs to move towards recommending alternative pain management approaches.
This study will interview patients (i.e., people living with persistent pain who are prescribed opioids), a close family member or carer, and prescribing HCPs to understand:
1. The attitudes and beliefs of the oldest old who are living with pain towards the use of opioids to manage persistent pain;
2. The attitudes and beliefs of carers and family members towards the use of opioids to manage the persistent pain of their client or family member;
3. The attitudes and beliefs of health care professionals towards the use of opioids to manage persistent pain in their oldest old populations.
Study participants will be recruited from the West Midlands area and, where possible, we will seek to interview patient-carer-HCP ‘triads’ where the family member or carer and HCP are directly involved with the care of the patient. The study will be conducted from March 2023 for 12 months. During this time, interviews will be conducted individually demanding a time commitment from each participant of one hour.
Start dates may differ between countries and research sites. The research team are responsible for keeping the information up-to-date.
The recruitment start and end dates are as follows:
Observational type: Qualitative;
You can take part if:
You may not be able to take part if:
Patients: Participants will be excluded if they are receiving end-of-life care (as defined by status on the Gold Standards Framework for palliative care), if they do not have the capacity to consent for themselves, or if they are unable to meaningfully communicate about their experiences in an interview (e.g., aphasia, advanced dementia). Aside from receipt of end-of-life care, participants will not be excluded due to existing co-morbidities if they have capacity to consent to participation for themselves, and can meaningfully communicate their experiences in an interview. Significant other: Participants will be excluded if they are unable to meaningfully communicate about their experiences in an interview. Healthcare professional: Participants will be excluded if they have not been directly involved in the care of the oldest-old population living with persistent non-palliative pain.
Below are the locations for where you can take part in the trial. Please note that not all sites may be open.
Helen
Wright
h.wright1@keele.ac.uk
Victoria
Welsh
v.welsh@keele.ac.uk
Victoria
Welsh
v.welsh@keele.ac.uk
Helen
Wright
h.wright1@keele.ac.uk
Alice
Faux-Nightingale
a.faux-nightingale@keele.ac.uk
Dr
Victoria
Welsh
v.welsh@cphc.keele.ac.uk
The study is sponsored by University of Keele and funded by NIHR School for Primary Care Research .
Your feedback is important to us. It will help us improve the quality of the study information on this site. Please answer both questions.
Read full details
for Trial ID: CPMS 56635
You can print or share the study information with your GP/healthcare provider or contact the research team directly.
