A quick summary of the study:
You are being invited to complete a survey to tell us your views and experiences as a doctor about out-of-office blood pressure monitoring.
The study is being led by the University of Birmingham. If you have any questions about the study, please contact James Hodgkinson:
Email: j.a.hodgkinson@bham.ac.uk Tel: 0121 414 8842
What is the purpose of this study?
The purpose of this study is to find out the views and experiences of doctors working in general practice about out-of-office blood pressure monitoring, that is, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) and self-monitoring or home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM), in hypertension diagnosis and management.
Why have I been invited?
We are interested to hear from as many different doctors as possible, regardless of whether they have direct experience of out-of-office blood pressure monitoring.
What will happen to me if I take part and what do I have to do?
If you would like to take part, we will ask you to complete a survey. The survey will take around 5 minutes to answer all the questions and you will only have to complete it once. All surveys will be pseudo-anonymous with no identifying information in them, and will only include a study specific ID number assigned by the researcher.
Do I have to take part?
No. This is a voluntary study and it is your decision. As this study only involves a one-off survey, completion and submission of a survey form will be considered to constitute consent. You are free to withdraw from the study without giving a reason at any time before submitting a survey.
Will my taking part in this study be kept confidential?
All information provided and obtained will be treated with the strictest confidentiality in accordance with the Data Protection Act and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We will be using information from you in order to undertake this study and we will use the minimum personally-identifiable information possible. You will be given a study number so that any information that you provide to us will be made anonymous. You do not need to give your name or any contact details. Responsible members of the University of Birmingham may be given access to data for monitoring and/or audit of the study to ensure that the research is complying with applicable regulations.
How will we use information about you?
Any information about you for this research project will be treated securely. Once we have finished the study, we will keep some of the data in anonymised form so that we can check the results. We will write our reports in a way that no one can identify you.
What if there is a problem?
If you have a concern about any aspect of this study, you should speak to the lead researcher, Dr James Hodgkinson, who will do his best to answer your questions on j.a.hodgkinson@bham.ac.uk. Any complaint about the way you have been dealt with during the study will be addressed. If you remain unhappy and wish to complain formally to someone independent of the research team, you can do this by contacting Dr Birgit Whitman, Head of Research Governance and Integrity, University of Birmingham, 0121 415 8011.