IN-TALK: Co-producing a Hospice Intimacy Support Toolkit in England (IN-TALK)
Co-producing a Hospice Intimacy Support Toolkit to Enable Intimacy Needs Conversations in England
People receiving hospice care may experience concerns about intimacy, closeness and physical affection that can affect their quality of life and wellbeing. However, healthcare professionals often report feeling uncertain about how to initiate or respond to conversations about intimacy needs. This can result in unmet needs and missed opportunities to provide holistic, person-centred care.
The aim of the IN-TALK study is to co-produce a hospice intimacy support toolkit to support healthcare professionals in initiating and responding to conversations about intimacy needs with people receiving hospice care in England.
This prospective mixed methods observational study uses Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) as its co-production methodology to develop a hospice intimacy support toolkit. Findings from the surveys will inform a series of co-production workshops involving hospice service users and healthcare professionals. Together, participants will co-produce the content and design of a hospice intimacy support toolkit to support person-centred care in hospice services across England.
Study Overview
Status
Intervention / Treatment
Detailed Description
IN-TALK is a 24-month prospective mixed methods observational study which uses Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) as its co-production methodology to develop a hospice intimacy support toolkit. The study is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) Programme (Grant Reference NIHR209649).
The study aims to co-produce an evidence-informed hospice intimacy support toolkit to support healthcare professionals in initiating and responding to conversations about intimacy needs with people receiving hospice care in England.
The study comprises two interconnected work packages. Cross-sectional surveys of hospice service users and healthcare professionals will generate evidence to inform Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) workshops, through which participants will co-produce a hospice intimacy support toolkit.
Work Package 1 will undertake cross-sectional surveys of hospice healthcare professionals and hospice service users in England. The surveys will explore experiences of intimacy needs conversations, perceived barriers and facilitators, confidence, education and training needs, and priorities for improving support within hospice care. Survey findings will be analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis of free-text responses where appropriate.
Work Package 2 will use Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) methodology to bring together hospice service users and healthcare professionals in a series of co-production workshops. Workshop participants will review the findings from Work Package 1, identify priorities for improvement and collaboratively design the content, format and implementation considerations for a hospice intimacy support toolkit. Workshops will be delivered in two face-to-face locations and one online workshop to maximise accessibility and participation.
The study will produce a hospice intimacy support toolkit intended to support healthcare professionals to address intimacy needs as part of holistic, person-centred hospice care. No investigational medicinal products, medical devices or experimental interventions will be evaluated. Participants will continue to receive usual hospice care throughout the study.
Study Type
Enrollment (Estimated)
Contacts and Locations
Study Contact
- Name: Dr Kate Sugar
- Phone Number: +44 1225 722988
- Email: kate.sugar@dorothyhouse-hospice.org.uk
Participation Criteria
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
- Adult
- Older Adult
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Sampling Method
Study Population
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
Hospice service users: Aged 18 years or over. Hospice service users: Patients, partners, loved ones and bereaved people who are receiving, or have received, care or support services from hospices in England.
Hospice service users: Able to understand and communicate in spoken and written English, independently or with the support of an interpreter.
Hospice service users: Able and willing to provide informed consent. Healthcare professionals: Registered or non-registered healthcare professionals currently working within hospices in England involved in patient care and support.
Healthcare professionals: Aged 18 years or over. Healthcare professionals: Able and willing to provide informed consent.
Exclusion Criteria:
Hospice service users: Cognitive impairment that impedes communication. Healthcare professionals: Registered and non-registered Healthcare professionals currently working outside of hospices; and England.
Study Plan
How is the study designed?
Design Details
Cohorts and Interventions
Group / Cohort |
Intervention / Treatment |
|---|---|
|
Hospice service users
Adults receiving hospice care in England who meet the study eligibility criteria and participate in the survey, the Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) workshops, or both, to inform the hospice intimacy support toolkit.
|
Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) workshops are used as a co-production research method to collaboratively develop a hospice intimacy support toolkit with hospice service users and healthcare professionals.
The workshops are part of the research methodology and are not a therapeutic or clinical intervention.
|
|
Healthcare professionals
Healthcare professionals working within hospice services in England who meet the study eligibility criteria and participate in the survey, the Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) workshops, or both, to inform the hospice intimacy support toolkit.
|
Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) workshops are used as a co-production research method to collaboratively develop a hospice intimacy support toolkit with hospice service users and healthcare professionals.
The workshops are part of the research methodology and are not a therapeutic or clinical intervention.
|
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Priorities for an intimacy support toolkit
Time Frame: Up to 24 months
|
Identification of priorities for the content, format and implementation of a hospice intimacy support toolkit through analysis of survey findings and Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) workshop discussions involving hospice service users and healthcare professionals.
|
Up to 24 months
|
Secondary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Hospice service users' intimacy support needs and priorities
Time Frame: During the cross-sectional survey data collection period (anticipated November 2026 to March 2027).
|
Self-reported intimacy support needs, preferred sources of support, and priorities for hospice intimacy support identified through an e-survey of hospice service users.
|
During the cross-sectional survey data collection period (anticipated November 2026 to March 2027).
|
|
Healthcare professionals' confidence and educational needs
Time Frame: During the cross-sectional survey data collection period (anticipated April 2027 to September 2027).
|
Self-reported confidence, perceived barriers and facilitators, and education and training needs relating to conversations about intimacy needs identified through an e-survey of hospice healthcare professionals.
|
During the cross-sectional survey data collection period (anticipated April 2027 to September 2027).
|
Collaborators and Investigators
Sponsor
Collaborators
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Dr Kate Sugar, Dorothy House
- Study Chair: Professor Candida McCabe, Dorothy House
Study record dates
Study Major Dates
Study Start (Estimated)
Primary Completion (Estimated)
Study Completion (Estimated)
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
First Posted (Actual)
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Actual)
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
Last Verified
More Information
Terms related to this study
Keywords
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
Other Study ID Numbers
- NIHR209649
- IRAS ID 360318 (Other Identifier: Health Research Authority (HRA))
Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)
Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?
Drug and device information, study documents
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product
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