Observational Risk Assessment of Contractures: Longitudinal Evaluation (ORACLE)- Qualitative data set

Tariq, Hina, Collins, Kathryn, Dunn, Joel and Porter, Sam (2025) Observational Risk Assessment of Contractures: Longitudinal Evaluation (ORACLE)- Qualitative data set.

This study aimed to explore the experience of care home staff regarding the usability and acceptability of a contracture risk assessment tool (ORACLE) and gain insights into its practical implementation. This study is nested within a multiphase, mixed-methods research project (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06042907), which aimed to develop and validate ORACLE in care homes. The qualitative study was carried out in five care homes that participated in testing the validity and reliability of ORACLE. All participating care homes had a good rating by the CQC. Two categories of care staff were eligible to participate in the semi-structured interviews. The inclusion criteria were: 1) Managers, registered nurses, or senior staff members engaged in coordinating the application of ORACLE in the care homes. 2) Healthcare assistants routinely engaged in the care of residents and who conducted ORACLE assessments. A purposive sample of 10 care staff members was determined, based on available resources and pragmatic considerations. Participants were purposively selected based on the eligibility criteria. The sampling process was informed by the principle of data saturation, with interviews conducted until no new themes were identified. The participants included care staff working across a variety of care homes, including nursing, residential, mixed or specialised care facilities (dementia, neurological, etc.). For confidentiality purposes, participating care homes are not named. The care staff primarily cared for elderly residents with minimal support needs or those who required regular assistance with activities of daily living, individuals with cognitive impairments, learning disabilities and chronic health conditions. The semi-structured interviews were conducted between 15th February and 30th May 2024 either remotely over secure videoconferencing or face-to-face in a private room at the care homes, depending on the convenience of the participants. The interviews lasted between 40 and 60 minutes and were audio and video recorded and transcribed verbatim by HT.