Sandra Herron-Marx | The Open University (original) (raw)

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Papers by Sandra Herron-Marx

Research paper thumbnail of Effect of oral tumour size on quality of life judgements by health care professionals working with head and neck cancer patients: a pilot study

The Journal of Laryngology & Otology, 2009

To investigate whether information about the size of an oral tumour influences the multi-discipli... more To investigate whether information about the size of an oral tumour influences the multi-disciplinary team's judgement about the quality of life of head and neck cancer patients. Using a between-group design, two groups of health care professionals rated a hypothetical patient on 20 outcome variables. The patient description was identical for both groups, except for the tumour size. Comparison of variable ratings revealed only three significant differences between the groups' predictions and no consistency within conditions, suggesting that the participants held few common assumptions about the impact of tumour size on a range of patient experiences. The lack of agreement amongst the health care professionals suggests that, where humane judgements are used in treatment decisions for head and neck cancer patients, these may be random and inconsistent. Consequently, patients should have a direct input into treatment decisions, via formalized quality of life data.

Research paper thumbnail of A Systematic Review of the Impact of Patient and Public Involvement on Service Users, Researchers and Communities

The Patient - Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Guidebook for Users Involved in the NHS and Social Care: Finding your Way Around Involvement and Decision-making

Journal of Nursing Management, 2005

Research paper thumbnail of The impact of patient and public involvement on UK NHS health care: a systematic review

International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Measuring the impact of patient and public involvement: the need for an evidence base

International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 2008

Over the last decade there has been increasing emphasis on patient and public involvement in diff... more Over the last decade there has been increasing emphasis on patient and public involvement in different aspects of healthcare activity in the UK and internationally [1, 2]. The importance of involving patients and the public in the re-design of a patient-focused healthcare system ...

Research paper thumbnail of Mapping the impact of patient and public involvement on health and social care research: a systematic review

Health Expectations, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Delays in help seeking at the onset of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic synthesis of qualitative literature

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 2012

A systematic review of qualitative peer-reviewed publications was conducted to identify drivers o... more A systematic review of qualitative peer-reviewed publications was conducted to identify drivers of and barriers to help-seeking behaviour in adults with new-onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA). 1058 abstracts were searched to identify relevant publications. 21 relevant publications were identified assessed for quality and subjected to analysis informed by thematic and grounded theory frameworks. Several interacting themes were identified including the early experience of symptoms in relation to disease prototypes, minimising the impact of symptoms, speaking to others, gathering information and seeking alternative treatments, and issues related to accessing health services and attitudes towards healthcare professionals. Many people suggested that they had little knowledge of RA before diagnosis, believing RA to be a mild condition that affected older people. These misperceptions made correct symptom interpretation unlikely. Normalising and ignoring symptoms led people to delay in help-seeking. However, when symptoms impacted on daily activities help was usually sought. Individual interpretations of symptoms are both drivers of and barriers to help seeking. Targeted public health interventions are required to inform symptom interpretation and reduce delays.

Research paper thumbnail of Effect of oral tumour size on quality of life judgements by health care professionals working with head and neck cancer patients: a pilot study

The Journal of Laryngology & Otology, 2009

To investigate whether information about the size of an oral tumour influences the multi-discipli... more To investigate whether information about the size of an oral tumour influences the multi-disciplinary team's judgement about the quality of life of head and neck cancer patients. Using a between-group design, two groups of health care professionals rated a hypothetical patient on 20 outcome variables. The patient description was identical for both groups, except for the tumour size. Comparison of variable ratings revealed only three significant differences between the groups' predictions and no consistency within conditions, suggesting that the participants held few common assumptions about the impact of tumour size on a range of patient experiences. The lack of agreement amongst the health care professionals suggests that, where humane judgements are used in treatment decisions for head and neck cancer patients, these may be random and inconsistent. Consequently, patients should have a direct input into treatment decisions, via formalized quality of life data.

Research paper thumbnail of A Systematic Review of the Impact of Patient and Public Involvement on Service Users, Researchers and Communities

The Patient - Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Guidebook for Users Involved in the NHS and Social Care: Finding your Way Around Involvement and Decision-making

Journal of Nursing Management, 2005

Research paper thumbnail of The impact of patient and public involvement on UK NHS health care: a systematic review

International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Measuring the impact of patient and public involvement: the need for an evidence base

International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 2008

Over the last decade there has been increasing emphasis on patient and public involvement in diff... more Over the last decade there has been increasing emphasis on patient and public involvement in different aspects of healthcare activity in the UK and internationally [1, 2]. The importance of involving patients and the public in the re-design of a patient-focused healthcare system ...

Research paper thumbnail of Mapping the impact of patient and public involvement on health and social care research: a systematic review

Health Expectations, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Delays in help seeking at the onset of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic synthesis of qualitative literature

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 2012

A systematic review of qualitative peer-reviewed publications was conducted to identify drivers o... more A systematic review of qualitative peer-reviewed publications was conducted to identify drivers of and barriers to help-seeking behaviour in adults with new-onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA). 1058 abstracts were searched to identify relevant publications. 21 relevant publications were identified assessed for quality and subjected to analysis informed by thematic and grounded theory frameworks. Several interacting themes were identified including the early experience of symptoms in relation to disease prototypes, minimising the impact of symptoms, speaking to others, gathering information and seeking alternative treatments, and issues related to accessing health services and attitudes towards healthcare professionals. Many people suggested that they had little knowledge of RA before diagnosis, believing RA to be a mild condition that affected older people. These misperceptions made correct symptom interpretation unlikely. Normalising and ignoring symptoms led people to delay in help-seeking. However, when symptoms impacted on daily activities help was usually sought. Individual interpretations of symptoms are both drivers of and barriers to help seeking. Targeted public health interventions are required to inform symptom interpretation and reduce delays.

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