Potter, Caroline M. http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7128-968X
Peters, Michele http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0076-5981
Cundell, Maureen
McShane, Rupert
Fitzpatrick, Ray http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0607-0563
Funding for this research was provided by:
National Institute of Health Research (Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care - Oxford)
Article History
Accepted: 8 January 2021
First Online: 11 February 2021
Compliance with ethical standards
:
: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
: This study was reviewed and approved by the Health and Social Care Research Ethics Committee A (HSC REC A, REC Reference: 16/NI/0264) within the Health Research Authority of England’s National Health Service. Study details were published on the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN) Portfolio of studies (IRAS study number: 209506).
: Phase 1 interview participants undertook the consenting process in person with the researcher and gave informed written consent prior to the interview commencing, as outlined in the approved study protocol: Taking consent Researcher to explain the overall aims of the research, purpose of interview, how the interview will be conducted and assure confidentiality. Invite any questions that the participant might have. Check participant understanding of the study: Can you tell me in your own words what you will need to do to take part in the study? If you decide that you no longer want to participate, when and how can you tell me this? Can you think of any risks for you if you take part in this study? How about any benefits? Do you think that taking part in this study will have any effect on your medical care? If researcher (and carer, if present) is satisfied that participant understands what their participation involves, give consent form for completion. Offer to read aloud each item of the consent form individually if they prefer. After consent is given: Make participant aware that audio-recording is about to begin, then begin recording. Phase 2 survey participants gave consent for their data to be used in the study by returning the completed questionnaire, as stated in the Participant Information Sheet: ‘By returning the completed questionnaire to the research team, you are agreeing to take part in this stage of the study and for your responses to be used in our analysis.’ For both phases of the study, the Participant Information Sheet made clear that the study was voluntary and that participants could withdraw from the study at any time, without having to give a reason.
: Written consent forms (Phase 1) and Participant Information Sheets (Phases 1 and 2) stated that anonymized study results would be presented in study outputs including peer-reviewed articles for publication.