Adults’ experiences of living with pulmonary hypertension: A thematic synthesis of qualitative studies
Creators: name: Rawlings, Gregg
name: Beail, Nigel
name: Armstrong, Iain
name: Condliffe, Robin
name: Kiely, David
name: Sabroe, Ian
name: Thompson, Andrew
Publisher: name: Open Science Framework
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Medical Humanities
subject: Psychiatry and Psychology
subject: Diseases
subject: Medicine and Health Sciences
subject: Medical Education
subject: Mental and Social Health

description: Date: 28/1/20 Systematic review protocol Version 1 Title Adult's experiences and perspectives of living with pulmonary hypertension: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies Start date 10/1/20 Completion date 30/4/20 Lead researcher Dr Gregg Rawlings Contact address Clinical Psychology Unit, University of Sheffield, Cathedral Court, Floor F, 1 Vicar Lane, Sheffield, S1 2LT, United Kingdom Organisational affiliation of the review University of Sheffield Review team members Dr Gregg Rawlings, Prof Nigel Beail, Prof Andrew Thomspon, Dr Iain Armstrong, Dr Robin Condliffe, Prof Ian Sabore, Prof David Kiely Review question The object of the present review was to undertake the first systematic synthesis, that the authors are aware of, of published qualitative evidence examining lived experiences of PH in individuals diagnosed with the condition. The findings will help to develop a self-help intervention of people with PH who experience difficulties with anxiety. Searchers Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO and Cochrane Library. Condition being studied Pulmonary hypertension (PH), also known as pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), is a progressive life limiting condition. It is characterised by a high mean blood pressure of ≥ 20mm Hg, at rest, in the blood vessels that supply the lungs, otherwise known as the pulmonary arteries. The surrounding walls of the pulmonary arteries become thick and rigid, resulting in hypertension and impaired functioning, heart-failure and eventually death (Marius M. Hoeper et al., 2013; M. M. Hoeper &amp; Humbert, 2019). Participants Inclusion - examining adults (18 years or older) diagnosed with PH. Exclusion criteria - examining children (&lt;18 years old) and/or individuals without a diagnosis of PH Type of study to be included Suitable studies must have utilised qualitative research methodologies i.e. research interviews, and used any form of qualitative analysis to interpretative the data. Qualitative research published in English in a scientific journal and peer reviewed. Main outcomes Main outcomes will emerge as descriptive and analytical themes from a thematic synthesis of the data. Data extraction Following the systematic search any duplicates will be deleted using Endnote Web. Articles will then be screen by title and abstract. Following this, articles will undergo a full-text screen. Included articles will be read several times by the lead researcher (Dr Rawlings) prior to data extraction. After this time the following data will be extracted: authors, year, country, aim, sample characteristics, qualitative methodology, key findings and discussion points relevant to the review's primary aim. Risk of bias All studies in the synthesis will be evaluated using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme for qualitative research. This is a ten-item checklist used to appraise qualitative papers. The first three questions explore whether the research aim(s) are clearly stated and if it can be addressed using a qualitative approach. The following questions are then asked to help evaluate the: recruitment strategy, data collection method, issues concerning reflexivity, ethical implications, data analysis, clarity of findings, and overall value of the research. An overall score will be given to each article to demonstrate that the study had achieved all (++), most (+) or few (-) of the criteria. The lead author will assess each paper individually and 30% will be undergo another quality assessment by a second reviewer. The level of agreement will be reported. The quality of papers will be assessed to help evaluate the evidence and for any interpretations made to be in light of its source. All findings will be included in the analysis irrespective of quality. Strategy for data synthesis A thematic synthesis will be used to analyse the data. This approach aims to develop higher order themes in a transparent way as it explicitly reports and distinguishes between descriptive and analytical findings. Moreover, the new analytical themes can be used to inform future intervention and research. A four staged approach will be used, as outlined by Thomas &amp; Harden (2008): Lead author becomes familiar with included studies Line by line coding of data Development of descriptive themes Development of analytical themes and write up Dissemination plans We plan to publish the review in an International and peer reviewed journal. Key words thematic synthesis, qualitative, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary atrial hypertension