A mixed-methods study exploring the psychosocial impact of lymphoedema in Wales (PIL Study).
The Lymphoedema Wales Clinical Network (LWCN) provides Value-Based Healthcare to children, young people and adults living with lymphoedema across Wales. This chronic long-term condition is associated with psychosocial issues that can profoundly affect a patient’s quality of life, their social interactions with both family and friends, employment status, and their emotional state.
At present, there are no published guidelines for incorporating psychosocial care into routine care practices. Family members and caregivers often report feeling unequipped with the appropriate skills required to effectively respond to a patient’s psychosocial needs.
This proposal forms the first step in investigating the spectrum of perceptions and views, in relation to the psychosocial burden of living with a diagnosis of lymphoedema, from the perspective of service users, their family members, and caregivers, on a national scale.
The study will capture both quantitative and qualitative data by employing a mixed-methods research design to provide a valuable insight into where psychosocial interventions would be best placed. Outcomes from this study will then inform the equitable and inclusive development of a “patient-centred” Psychology Service within the Lymphoedema Wales Clinical Network.