Welcome to our participant page for our research on a new hospital service called ‘Martha’s Rule’. This page is for patients, family members and staff from our three NHS hospital research sites who would like to find out more information about the study.
This information may also be interesting to other members of the general public or healthcare staff who would like to read about how we are carrying out the study. Please note, we are not recruiting participants outside of our three NHS hospital research sites.
What is the project about?
A research project called ‘A formative evaluation of the implementation of Martha’s rule’ is being led by researchers who are based at the Bradford Institute for Health Research at Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust. With the help of patients, family members and public representatives, we are doing some research on Martha’s Rule. We want to look at how Martha’s Rule is used in three different hospital trusts in England. The reason we are doing this is to:
- Understand how Martha’s Rule works in practice,
- Improve the services available to people receiving care on hospital wards, and
- Help healthcare organisations and policy makers develop Martha’s Rule in other hospital Trusts.
What is Martha’s Rule?
Sometimes when a patient is in hospital, they or their loved one get worried that their symptoms are getting worse. There may be times when they try and tell the doctors and nurses their concerns and they don’t feel like they are being heard. Sometimes they might like to get advice or a review from another doctor or nurse who works in a different team. Some people find this difficult to do or to even to ask for help. To help with this, there is a new system being put into some hospitals in England called Martha’s rule.
Martha’s Rule is not only for patients and their loved ones but can also be used by ward staff if they have concerns about a patient’s condition and would like to raise their concerns with an independent team. Martha’s Rule also involves staff on the ward asking patients and their families and friends about a patient’s condition at least daily to find out if they think they are getting worse.
From June 2024, 143 NHS Trusts/hospitals in England will be using Martha’s Rule in all their inpatient (ward level) services (except on maternity wards or in community hospitals or mental health settings).
How will we do this research?
We will be doing research in three of these 143 hospital Trusts. At these three Trusts, we will interview a number of people including nurses and doctors in critical care outreach teams and ward managers, nurses, doctors, healthcare assistants and patients/family members in their wards. We will observe the medical activities which are happening in these wards where Martha’s Rule is being used. We will also look at policies and how patients/carers are told about Martha’s Rule. We will also do a survey of patients, families and the general population about their awareness of Martha’s rule and their experience of being asked about their condition on a daily basis.
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for patients, their family and staff from our three NHS research sites to hear about:
- your views on and any experience of using Martha’s Rule
- any decision you made about contacting the hospital service under Martha’s Rule (this might be called Martha’s Rule helpline, Call4Concern or another name)
Why do we need patients, family and staff to participate?
Patients, families and friends will have an important role in using Martha’s Rule because they can raise their concerns with an independent team when they think that they or their loved one is getting worse, and they don’t feel that their concerns are being listened to by the healthcare staff who are looking after them. Staff also have a key role in carrying out tasks that relate to identifying patients who are getting worse as well as raising their own concerns, when needed.
What shall I do if I am interested in participating?
If you are in a ward at one of our three NHS sites, you may be approached by a researcher who is looking at a medical routine that involves you. The researcher will ask your permission to do this. Please read the observations information sheet for further details.
We are also currently recruiting patients, family members, and staff on participating wards at our three sites to participate in a brief interview about their experience. You may like to read the interview information sheet.
If you heard about this study at one of our three recruiting sites and would like more information about the study, please contact marthasrule.study@bthft.nhs.uk
*Please note that we may not be able to say yes to everyone who wants to be involved this project because the numbers of participants are relatively small at each site.*
What will we do with the findings from this research?
With the input from patients, family members, public representatives, and staff, we will produce a set of recommendations, based upon what we find. The recommendation will help develop what is needed in the future for other NHS Trusts that are planning to use Martha’s rule. We want to make sure that this guidance includes the things patients and families’ have told us are most important to them.