Status: Closed to volunteers
Children are now much more likely to survive any serious infection than ever before. This progress comes from a whole package of treatments including antibiotics, infusions of fluid (e.g. saline solution) into a child’s veins (“fluid bolus therapy”) and support for breathing and heart function. We hope to improve survival further by refining one part of this package of treatment: by exploring what is the best amount of fluid to give critically ill children in the earliest stages of care.
We are designing a study (called Fluids in Shock - FiSh) to find out whether giving less fluid bolus therapy to children with symptoms of a severe infection (septic shock) is better than giving a higher amount of fluid, as currently recommended.
We would like to interview 15-25 parents/legal representatives whose children have been admitted to hospital and treated for severe infection in the last three years. Parents/Legal representatives will be recruited via UK Emergency Departments, Paediatric Intensive Care Units and online support groups/social media.
During interviews, we will review and explore:
- acceptability of the proposed FiSh Trial;
- potential barriers to recruitment and potential solutions;
- participant and parent information (including participant information sheets, leaflets and posters);
- decision-making and research without prior consent (deferred consent);
- potential patient-centred outcome measures (e.g. what outcomes would be important to parents of children with severe infection?).
By speaking to parents/legal representatives, we hope to find out whether the trial is possible and, if so, how it should be done.
If you would like to find out more or register your interest in taking part in the study, please contact:
Dr Caitlin O'Hara
Email: Caitlin.O-Hara@liverpool.ac.uk
Telephone: 0151 795 5325
Dr Kerry Woolfall
Email: K.Woolfall@liverpool.ac.uk
Telephone: 0151 794 4634
This study is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) – Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme (Project: 13/04/105)