Reflections on stakeholder engagement in a systematic review of effectiveness: integrating the voice of healthcare users

ID: 

321

Session: 

Poster session 3

Date: 

Tuesday 18 September 2018 - 12:30 to 14:00

All authors in correct order:

Nunns M1, Shaw L1, Briscoe S1, Thompson Coon J1, Anderson R1
1 Exeter HS&DR Evidence Synthesis Centre, University of Exeter Medical School, UK
Presenting author and contact person

Presenting author:

Joanna Thompson-Coon

Contact person:

Michael Nunns
Joanna Thompson-Coon
Abstract text
Background:
We were commissioned to investigate the effectiveness of organisational interventions to reduce length of stay (LOS) in hospital after planned procedures for older patients in the UK. In order to inform and improve our review, we aimed to engage with professionals involved in the conception and delivery of such interventions, as well as service users with experience of overnight stays for planned procedures.

Objectives:
To reflect upon the challenges associated with recruiting service users and integrating their experiences into a systematic review focused on the effectiveness of organisational interventions.

Methods:
We aimed to draw upon service-user experiences when planning our synthesis, discussing findings and writing the final report. We sought to recruit service users over the age of 60, with experience of overnight hospital stays for planned procedures in the UK. Recruitment methods included contacting existing service-user groups and networks, advertising in general practitioner (GP) surgeries and local establishments, and in a local newsletter. Engagement with service users was performed in a group setting, with researchers taking notes on discussion.

Results:
One group discussion has taken place to date. Recruitment was challenging, but yielded a group of service users (n = 4). The project is still ongoing, and due to complete in September 2018. We plan to engage with this group throughout the project, and to explore alternative mechanisms for identifying and involving additional service users. Reflections on the process of service-user recruitment and engagement throughout the review will be presented.

Conclusions:
We will discuss the challenges of recruiting, involving and integrating the input of service users effectively in this review. We will describe challenges and solutions, reflecting on these in the light of accounts of service-user involvement in other systematic reviews.

Patient or healthcare consumer involvement:
The involvement of healthcare consumers will be the primary focus of this work. Service users will have the opportunity to comment on and contribute towards this presentation/poster.

Relevance to patients and consumers: 

The topic of this work is the engagement of healthcare consumers in a systematic review. The systematic review itself concerns hospital-based strategies to reduce length of hospital stay in older adults. The work here will describe the involvement of healthcare consumers as the primary focus. In addition, service users will have the opportunity to comment on and contribute towards this presentation/poster.