The qualitative components of the study have now been completed and the findings have been published.
We will be conducting:
1. Patient interviews
2. Staff interviews
3. GP interviews
1. Patient Interviews
Why are we interviewing patients?
We have interviewed people who were approached to take part in the BOPPP trial to understand their reasons for deciding whether or not to take part. We want to find out if the study procedures are acceptable by asking patients about their experience of the recruitment process and the perceived benefits and disadvantages of taking part in the trial. Our overall aim is to improve how we structure the recruitment process, how we present information about the trial, how we address the concerns of prospective participants and how we support those who go on to participate in the trial.
This paper has now been published and can be found via this link.
How can I help?
We are asking staff who are responsible for recruiting patients to the trial to invite all patients who are eligible to take part in the trial to a one-off interview (face-to-face or by telephone) with a researcher. Please provide the patient participant information sheet and ask if each person is happy for their contact details to be forwarded to the qualitative researcher at clair.leboutillier@nhs.net who can answer any questions.
2. Staff Interviews
Why are we interviewing staff
In order to find out whether the trial procedures are acceptable, we also want to interview staff about the recruitment process and the perceived benefits and disadvantages of recruiting patients to the trial. We are interested in staff experiences of preferences for NSBB use, barriers to referral, and perceived challenges of this treatment strategy in the NHS. Staff experiences and views will inform what helps and what hinders uptake of this treatment strategy and will support future implementation of beta-blocker treatment for patients with small oesophageal varices in routine practice.
What will the interview involve?
Staff responsible for recruiting patients to the BOPPP trial will be invited to take part in a one-off telephone or face-to-face interview, depending on preference, with a researcher. Experiences of recruiting participants into a research trial, and barriers and facilitators to delivering the treatment strategy will be explored. We expect that each interview will last between 30-60 minutes. With consent, the interview will be audio-recorded in order to capture all of the experiences accurately. All responses will remain confidential.
I am a member of staff, can I take part?
Recruitment to the qualitative component of the trial is now complete and the findings are being written up for publication.
3. GP Interviews
Why are we interviewing GP’s?
We are asking GP’s about their experiences and views regarding the barriers and enablers when implementing the BOPPP treatment strategy beyond the context of the trial.
How I can I help?
We are asking all staff who recruit a patient to the trial to inform the patient’s GP of trial participation using the BOPPP GP letter