Interviewee, Focus Group on Health Technology for Cryptogenic Stroke Patients

Some strokes happen to people for unknown reasons; this is sometimes called cryptogenic stroke. The University of British Columbia is interested in interviewing 20 cryptogenic stroke patients that have used an implantable cardiac monitor or holter monitor for their recovery to better understand their experiences.

Open to: Patient partners from across the province

Lead Organization or Department

Health Technology Assessment Team — Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation, University of British Columbia

Aim

The aim of this opportunity is to look at the present technologies (Implantable Cardiac Monitors and holter monitors) available and assess their role within care for patients who have had an occurrence of cryptogenic stroke. Patients will provide feedback about health outcomes that are important to them, providing a more complete picture of the patient perspective, which will help guide the evaluation of the clinical literature and health policy.

Level of Engagement

This opportunity is at the level of involve on the spectrum of engagement. The promise to you is that the health care partner will involve patients in planning and design phases to ensure ideas or concerns are considered and reflected in alternatives and recommendations.

Eligibility

• Must be a resident of BC
• Comfortable with sharing their experiences with a cryptogenic stroke
• Able to receive incoming calls within BC without any additional fees

Logistics

Number of Vacancies: 20 Date and Time: Every effort will be made to schedule the interviews at a time that is convenient for the volunteer. Location:

• Telephone - One-on-one interviews will be conducted by telephone. Patient partners will be called by the interviewer.
• Focus Group - Patient partners in greater Vancouver may have the option to attend a focus group at the Vancouver General Hospital, Research Pavilion. Those in Vancouver who prefer to participate in a telephone interview (rather than a focus group) may have the option to do so.

Commitment:  One-time event; 1 hour

Reimbursement

No out-of-pocket expenses are expected to be incurred for telephone interviews. Travel expenses will be covered for those attending the focus group.

Background

Health Technology Review (HTR) is a joint Ministry of Health and Health Authority process used to provide evidence-informed recommendations about which new non-drug health technologies (tools, devices, diagnostics, and procedures) should be publicly provided in the province. Additional information on the Health Technology Review process is available online at www.health.gov.bc.ca/htr. Recently, a decision was made to look at the present Implantable Cardiac Monitors (ICM) available and assess their role within care for patients who have had an occurrence of cryptogenic stroke. The purpose of engaging patients is for the research team to gain an understanding of the outcomes that are important to patients, alongside their perceptions and experiences of a monitoring device for those who have had an occurrence of a cryptogenic stroke to guide our evaluation of the clinical literature and health policy. The HTA team is very interested in hearing about the patients’ experience with monitoring devices in regards to how they impact the patient's quality of life, efficacy of monitoring devices, any side effects of use, and in general their experiences, social interactions, or any other factors related to the patient experience. Approximately six weeks after the interview, the HTA team will provide patient partners with a summary of the themes and information shared. Participants may provide additional feedback at that time if necessary. This information will also be reflected in the final report which will be emailed to participants once published.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Kathryn Proudfoot
Engagement Leader, Patient & Public Engagement | Provincial

604-668-8246

kproudfoot@bcpsqc.ca