Starting in February, researchers from the University of Warwick will be collaborating with University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) staff on the third phase of the “Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment (ReSPECT)” study.
The purpose of the ReSPECT tool is to help patients and their care team discuss what type of treatment someone might want in a medical emergency. The ReSPECT tool can guide doctors and nurses looking after a patient who may not be able to make decisions about their care in the future. Led at UHB by Dr John Speakman, the study is evaluating the TEAL/DNAR process and how it is used at UHB.
As part of the next step in ReSPECT, researchers will be visiting wards to observe medical staff during their discussions with patients and family members around TEAL/DNAR decisions.
The researchers will also be interviewing selected staff members about the decision-making process for these types of plans and to consider the impact of them in order to explore how and why these judgements are made, what influences these decisions and how patients and their family members experience the decision-making process. It is hoped that through these observations and short interviews, the researchers will be able to understand what changes can be made to improve the overall process.
The Research Team would like to thank all the staff who have taken part in the ReSPECT study so far and contributed to this important project. This trial is supported by the Delivery Team at the NIHR SRMRC.
