Heritage in Hospitals
Research Project
You are invited to take part in a research
project that is investigating the benefit of
bringing museum objects to patients’
bedsides. This leaflet explains why the
research is being carried out and what
will be involved if you choose to take part.
Please feel free to ask the researcher if
there is anything that is not clear or if
you would like more information.
What is the purpose of the study?
The purpose of this study is to assess
the potential value of museum object
handling as an enrichment activity in
hospitals and healthcare settings.
University College London houses three
Museums and fifteen Collections that
cover the Arts, Humanities, Medicine and
Sciences. These collections consist of a
diverse array of around 800,000 objects.
Do I have to take part?
What will happen to me if I take part?
It is entirely up to you to decide whether
to take part or not. If you do decide to
take part you will be given this
information leaflet to keep and be asked
to sign a consent form. Even after you
have decided to take part, you are free to
withdraw at any time without giving a
reason. A decision to withdraw, or a
decision not to take part, will not affect
the standard of the care you receive.
If you agree to take part, a researcher will
explain more about the handling session
and any answer questions you might
have. The researcher will ask you if you
agree to the session being recorded with
an audio recorder. The researcher will
also ask you to indicate how you are
feeling using a series of short questions.
You will be asked to sign a consent form.
How long will the session take?
Session lengths vary depending on how
long you would like to handle the
museum objects for. Usually sessions
last between 20 and 30 minutes. You can
choose to end the session at any point.
Prior to handling the museum objects,
you will be asked to wash your hands
using soap and water or alcohol gel and
the researcher will wash their’s as well.
You will then be invited to select one or
more of the museum objects to handle
and talk about with the researcher.
After the session you will be asked again
to indicate how you are feeling. If you
have any further questions, comments or
observations you will be welcome to
discuss these with the researcher.
What are the possible disadvantages
and risks of taking part?
Some of these objects, specifically art,
archaeology, geology and natural history,
comprise handling collections that are
available for people to pick up, touch and
feel.
There are no disadvantages or risks
involved with taking part in the study.
You are not liable for any breakages to
the museum objects that might occur
during the session.
Will my taking part in this study be
kept confidential?
Yes, only members of the research team
will have access to your personal details.
This could include access to sections of
medical notes and demographic data. All
information collected during the course
of the research will be treated in the
strictest confidence. Data may be stored
by the custodians, University College
London Hospitals and University College
London for use in future studies.
Data may be transferred with no personal
identifiers to researchers or sponsors of
the research (including countries outside
the European Union) that may not have
equivalent data protection legislation. All
efforts will be made to ensure the
security of this information.
The results of this study may be
published or used for teaching purposes,
however, your name or other identifier
will not be used in a publication or in
teaching material unless your specific
permission has been sought.
For more information please contact:
Guy Noble
Arts Curator UCLH Arts
University College London Hospitals
NHS Foundation Trust
IM&T Department
3rd Floor Maple House
149 Tottenham Court Road
London W1T 7BN
tel: 0845 1555 000 ext 5451
email: guy.noble@uclh.nhs.uk
Dr Helen Chatterjee
Deputy Director
UCL Museums & Collections
Darwin Building
University College London
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT
tel: 020 7679 4113 ext 34113
email: h.chatterjee@ucl.ac.uk
MREC No 06/Q505/78
2nd March, 2009
Heritage in Hospitals
Research Project
Patient
Information
Leaflet