Extrait

Background and study aims Many people with respiratory illnesses such as coughs, colds, influenza, sore throats or sinusitis go to see their general practitioner (GP), taking up large amounts of time and NHS resources. The majority of these illnesses do not require treatment and will get better on their own. However, people go to their doctor because they do not have good information about how long these illnesses normally last or how severe the symptoms can be. The study aims to improve the information made available to patients about how they can manage these illnesses without visiting their doctor and also when they should seek medical advice. Who can participate? Participants need to be over the age of 18, have no serious mental health problems, have access to the internet and be the only person from their household taking part in the study. What does the study involve? Recruitment will be through letters sent out by GPs inviting people to take part in the study. Participants will be placed randomly into one of two groups (treatment and control). Both groups will be asked to complete monthly online questionnaires about any respiratory illnesses they have. The treatment group will have immediate access to an interactive website which will give them advice about how to manage their illness based on the answers they give to questions asked by the website. The control group will be allowed to use the website when the study has ended. A small number of people from the treatment group will be interviewed to find out what they think about the website. A review of the relevant parts of the patient's notes will be carried out six months after the end of the study for both groups. What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? Participants may find that they are more able to cope with respiratory illnesses without consulting their GP and be more aware of symptoms that indicate when they should seek medical advice. There is a very slight risk that patients may not seek medical advice for a serious illness; however, the questions on the website have been developed by experts to ensure patients are given clear instructions about when they should consult a health professional. Where is the study run from? The study is being run by Primary Medical Care, University of Southampton (UK) When is the study starting and how long will it run for? The study is hoping to recruit about 2300 people from October 2011 through to Spring 2012. Recruits will be in the study for six months but the review of their notes will take place 12 months after they are recruited. Who is funding the study? National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (UK) Who is the main contact? Mrs Susan Broomfield (Study Manager) [email protected]

Critère d'inclusion

• Topic: Primary Care Research Network for England; Subtopic: Not Assigned; Disease: All Diseases

Liens

• isrctn
• ictrp