Exploring the problem of INCLUSIVity and idEntifying solutions in REMOTE CARE delivery in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and multimorbidity (COPD&MM) from minoritised ethnic groups, their carers and professional interpreters: a qualitative study

The UK government priority is that the remote delivery (via telephone, smartphone, video link/ other website platforms) of care continues beyond the pandemic to ensure people’s health needs are met, address health inequalities and improve experience of care. Some studies have highlighted that while remote care delivery may work well for some type of patients such as those who can access and use technology or those who may have less complex healthcare needs, it may not work well for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Patients with COPD commonly have other long term health conditions with complex needs, are older, are less likely to access or use technology and more likely to belong to an ethnic minority group requiring language support during consultations. This can widen inequalities. It is timely to consider the views of patients with COPD from different ethnic minority groups, their carers and professional translators about their experience of remote care delivery and how it might be improved so that it is appropriate and acceptable to them.

In the context of COPD, healthcare delivery includes discussion of symptoms, symptoms management, medications, education about their condition, signposting to services such as exercise programmes, smoking cessation advice, mental health support.

Aims

To explore the views and experiences of:

1. Patients with COPD (who have additional long term conditions and belong to different ethnic minority groups), on remote care provision to understand what worked well, what were the challenges and how their experience of remote care might be improved.

2. Carers of patients with COPD, on their involvement in remote care provision to understand what worked well, what were the challenges and how remote care might be improved

3. Professional translators or interpreters, on their involvement in supporting patients with translation during consultations delivered remotely, to understand what worked well, what the challenges were and how patients can be better supported.

Methods

We will conduct one-to-one interviews, either face-to-face or using another acceptable option and we will invite a small number of participants interviewed to take part in a photographic research activity, to better understand experiences of remote care provision: what worked well, what are the challenges and how they might be overcome. We will recruit 12-15 participants per group of patients, carers of COPD patients, professional interpreters.

Study outcomes and benefits

The study will have several outcomes and benefits. It will:

Create more opportunities for people with COPD (and their carers) to access healthcare that is suitable and acceptable

Raise awareness (among professionals) of the challenges faced with language support in remote consultations

Identify ways of improving availability, accessibility and quality of remote care delivery

Our study findings will reach public and professional networks via newsletter, blogs.

Amount awarded: £62,000