Research project
Title: SAFER 2 trial (Support and Assessment for Falls Emergency Referrals)
Project timescale: From 01 April, 2009 to 30 September, 2013
(Added to website on: 17 December, 2012 - Date last updated: 14 January, 2013)
Source of funding:
Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme (NIHR)
Aims: SAFER 2 is an evaluation of a new clinical protocol which allows paramedics to assess and refer older people who have fallen, and do not need hospital based care, to a community based falls service.
Research designs used:
Evaluation
Randomised controlled trial
Study of views/experiences
Other:
Methods used to collect data:
Focus groups
Interviews
Validated instruments eg Outcome measures
Questionnaire survey
Other (please specify):
Research project description: This is a pragmatic cluster randomised control trial with qualitative component, involving 25 ambulance stations from ambulance services in London, East Midlands and Wales. Participating stations have been randomly allocated to an intervention group (paramedics assess and refer patients to appropriate community based falls services) or control (deliver patient care as normal). Data are gathered from patients, carers and health services providers about effects on patients and services.
Stages at which the public were involved:
Assisting in finding and designing appropriate
ways of approaching participants
Planning the research
Final Research Report
Managing the research
Designing the research instruments
(eg questionnaires, patient information sheets)
Disseminating research
Seeking funding / applying for funding
Prioritising topic areas
Other: Assisting in decision making about trial design
Description of public involvement in research stages: We include service users at different decision levels: 1) on groups managing and overseeing the trial; 2) on groups for local trial site management; 3) patient/carer groups meeting with site researchers to discuss issues affecting older fallers likely to be recruited into the study.
Training and support provided for either members of the public or researchers involved in the project: We follow guidance for including service users produced by the Swansea University clinical trials unit WWORTH (West Wales Organisation for Rigorous Trials in Health). Support is provided by site researchers; there is a named contact person; honorariums/expenses are provided for all involvement; service users have equal status on research groups.
Examples of ways the public have made a difference to the research project: Service users' understanding and experience of conditions, existing treatments and services and impact of diagnosis, potential treatment and service delivery were drawn on to inform development of the research trial methods and processes. Hard-to-reach users - for reasons including age, deprivation, severity or rareness of a condition - were afforded additional resources to enable them to be involved. Their views were particularly sought as they are less often heard and provide a valuable insight to care needs and delivery. Inclusion of service users' perspectives informed the intervention and trial design, development of information and data collection tools. Service users also advised on ways to increase response rates to patient questionnaires. Advice was offered on the acceptability of the intervention. We involved service users who are beneficiaries of the research to help make the study findings relevant to older people.
Evaluating the impact of public involvement in the research: We are writing a research paper on how we developed a model to involve older people in this multi-centred trial of a complex intervention in pre-hospital emergency care. We plan to use the model in other studies and evaluate it.
Details of publications or reports resulting from the research: Publications, reports and other items about the study are at http://www.saferproject.org/category/news/. The SAFER 2 protocol is available in BMJ Open at http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/6/e002169.full
Links to Reports:
Support and Assessment for Fall Emergency Referrals (SAFER 2) research protocol
Was/is your project user controlled: No
For further information on the project, please contact:
Bridie Evans
Swansea University
College of Medicine
Swansea University
Singleton Park
Swansea
West Glamorgan
SA2 8PP
United Kingdom
b.a.evans@swansea.ac.uk
01792 602346
Website: www.saferproject.org/
Ms Marina Koniotou
Swansea University / London Ambulance Service
Marina.Koniotou@lond-amb.nhs.uk
07530094514
Website: www.saferproject.org/
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