Patient engagement with research: European population register study

Systematic scoping review protocol of Stroke Patient and Stakeholder Engagement (SPSE)

This protocol describes a systematic scoping review of Stroke Patient and Stakeholder Engagement (SPSE), concepts, definitions, models, implementation strategies, indicators, or frameworks. The active engagement of patients and other stakeholders is increasingly acknowledged as essential to patient-centered research to answer questions of importance to patients and their caregivers. Stroke is a debilitating, long-lasting burden for individuals, their families, and healthcare professionals. They require rehabilitation services, health care system assistance, and social support. Their difficulties are unique and require the continued involvement of all parties involved. Understanding SPSE in research is fundamental to healthcare planning and extends the role of patients and stakeholders beyond that of the study subject. We will conduct a systematic literature search to identify the types of existing evidence related to SPSE, implementation strategies, indicators, or frameworks related to Patient and Stakeholder Engagement (PSE); clarify key concepts, definitions, and components of SPSE; compile experiences and prerequisites; and identify stroke research internationally. Two independent reviewers will extract data from selected studies onto a customized extraction form that has already been piloted. We integrate existing knowledge to address gaps in the literature on SPSE research by presenting the model, implementation strategies, indicators, and frameworks for stroke patients. We hope that these findings will offer future researchers a clear picture and conceptual model of SPSE.

Research campaigns in the UK National Health Service: patient recruitment and questions of valuation

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) aims to improve national 'health and wealth' by providing infrastructural support to enable clinical research in National Health Service settings in England and Wales. Cognisant of the consequences of studies' failure to achieve required numbers of participants, it also actively campaigns to promote patient awareness of research, and willingness to participate in trials. In this paper, we analyse recent NIHR campaigns and policies designed to encourage patients to participate in clinical research to interrogate how they are implicated in the national bioeconomy. In doing so we expand the notion of 'clinical labour' to include the work of patient recruitment and highlight an emergent obligation on patients to contribute to research processes. Whereas once patient knowledge and experience may have been devalued, here we draw on the concept of 'assetisation' (Birch 2012) to explore the emergent relationship between healthcare system and patient as research participant. We consider how patients' contribution goes beyond the provision of standardised objects of valuation so that patients themselves may be perceived as assets to, not only recipients of, the national healthcare system.

Patient-initiated recruitment for clinical research: Evaluation of an outpatient letter research statement

BACKGROUND

UK Hospital Trusts are charged with increasing patients' research awareness and willingness to take part in research. This includes implementing strategies to encourage patient-initiated enquiries about participation.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the impact of a research statement inserted in outpatient letters in one clinical service, and to derive suggestions on potential steps towards increasing patient-initiated recruitment.

SETTING

A medical outpatient clinic of a research-active hospital trust, serving an inner-city multi-ethnic population across two boroughs.

METHODS

Pre-intervention and post-intervention questionnaires were administered face-to-face to new patients. Questionnaires included closed questions and one open comments section. Data were analysed for frequencies, with thematic coding of open-ended responses.

RESULTS

The response rates were 87% for the pre-intervention survey and 92% for the post-intervention survey. In the post-intervention survey, 85% of patients did not notice the research statement in the letter. More than half found the statement "a little unclear," whilst one-third considered it "clear." Three-quarters of respondents perceived the statement to be "a little helpful." Only one person enquired about participating in clinical research having read the statement in the outpatient letter.

CONCLUSION

The analysis suggests that simple, single-solution approaches such as including research statements in outpatient letters are unlikely to be sufficient to significantly facilitate patient-initiated recruitment. Recruitment efforts need to take into consideration the diversity of patient constituencies including the reasons they seek health care, and how patients can meaningfully access information (research literacy).

Attitudes to Stem Cell Therapy Among Ischemic Stroke Survivors in the Lund Stroke Recovery Study

Preclinical studies suggest that stem cell therapy (SCT) may improve poststroke recovery, and clinical trials investigating safety are ongoing. However, knowledge about patients' attitudes to SCT in stroke is limited. We evaluated the knowledge and attitudes to this therapeutic approach as well as possible factors influencing this among stroke patients potentially suitable for SCT. Consecutive first-ever acute ischemic stroke patients aged 20-75 years with NIH stroke scale scores 1-18 were included. Exclusion criteria were severe comorbidities or infratentorial stroke. Clinical follow-up after 3-5 years assessed severity of residual stroke symptoms, cognitive function, functional status, patient-reported outcome, and comorbidity, and after receiving standardized information, the participants also completed an eight-item questionnaire on knowledge and attitudes about SCT. The relationships between clinical variables and positive attitude to SCT were assessed with logistic regression analyses. Of 108 patients included at baseline, 84 participated at follow-up and completed the questionnaire. In total, 12% had prior knowledge of SCT. When informed, 63% were positive toward it and 36% reported willingness to participate in SCT trials. Only 5%-8% expressed ethical considerations regarding different stem cell sources. Positive attitudes to SCT were associated with male gender (OR: 3.74; 95% CI: 1.45-9.61; P < 0.01) and better patient-reported outcome (OR: 1.02; 95% CI: 1.00-1.04; P < 0.05). In conclusion, stroke patients had limited prior knowledge of SCT, yet attitudes were positive among the majority after receiving standardized and neutral information. Gender and degree of stroke recovery may influence attitudes to SCT, indicating a need for targeted information to improve knowledge about SCT.