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The effects of expressive writing on haemodialysis patients

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Depression associated with kidney disease
Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Depressive episode, unspecified
Registration Number
ISRCTN19773253
Lead Sponsor
King's College London (UK)
Brief Summary

2014 results in https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?did=1&uin=uk.bl.ethos.656944 (added 13/08/2020)

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
Completed
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
50
Inclusion Criteria

1. To be included in the study, patients (>18 years of age, either sex) will need to be a renal patient currently undergoing haemodialysis treatment within one of the dialysis units of Guy's and St Thomas's NHS Trust.
2. To be included in the writing intervention patients will have met a cut-off score of 3 or more on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) as part of the screening phase, indicating some level of distress.

Exclusion Criteria

Exclusion criteria (for both the screening and RCT phases) will include:
1. Patients under the age of 18
2. Those with significant visual or physical impairment preventing completion of the questionnaires
3. Inability to speak or write in English
4. Known cognitive impairment
5. Documented history of psychiatric illness including severe depression (identified as being under the care of a psychiatrist), and
6. Length of time on dialysis as <90 days

Following screening, patients with a General Health Questionnaire score of less than 3 will not be eligible for the writing task.

Study & Design

Study Type
Interventional
Study Design
Not specified
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
<br> Feasibility measured by:<br> 1. Recording the number of patients who are eligible in the targeted clinics<br> 2. The number willing to consent to screening and randomisation<br> 3. The number eligible for randomisation<br> 4. The number of drop-outs<br> 5. The number who adhere to task instructions<br>
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
<br> Data from a series of psychosocial questionnaire:<br> 1. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12)<br> 2. Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ)<br> 3. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2)<br> 4. Pain Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)<br> 5. Chalder Fatigue Scale]<br><br> At one week, after 3 months and finally after 6 months.<br>
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